It's funny how foreigners ask me the same questions when they first meet me.
外国人初见我时问的类似问题总是很有趣。
Questions like, "Wow, you're from Mongolia? So do you ride horses to go to work?"
像是，“哇，你来自蒙古？你们是骑马去上班吗？”
"Do you know what Coke is?" Or, "Do you have chocolates in Mongolia?"
“你知道可乐吗？”或者，“在蒙古有巧克力吗？”
And if I want to have fun with it, I say things like, "Oh my God, I've never heard any of those before.
然后如果我想找点乐子，我会说：“我的天，我从来没有听过你说的东西。
What are Coke and chocolates? Can you tell me more about them?"
什么是可乐和巧克力？你能再给我说说吗？”
It always works, and we have a good laugh about it too.
这招总是有用的，我们也会觉得这样非常好笑。
In reality, our capital city, Ulaanbaatar, is very urban.
实际上，我们的首都，乌兰巴托，非常城市化。
We have commercial buildings, brand-name hotels and beautiful art spaces too.
我们有商业建筑，名牌酒店和美丽的艺术空间。
But all too often foreigners fixate on what Mongolia lacks.
但是，很多时候，外国人总盯着蒙古缺少的东西。
They look at our massive, untouched landscape, traditional nomadic lifestyles, and see it as a sign of poverty. And I disagree.
他们看着我们广阔的原始风光，传统的游牧生活方式，认为这是贫困的标识。而我不同意。
In fact, I think there's a lot we can learn from ancient Mongolian nomads that will help us survive in the years and decades to come.
实际上，我认为有很多东西可以从古代蒙古游牧民族身上学到，能帮助我们在未来几十年生存。
This is a picture of me playing Mongolia's most celebrated traditional instrument, morin khuur, or horsehead fiddle.
这是我的一张照片，我在演奏蒙古最著名的传统乐器，“莫林胡尔”，或者叫做“马头琴”。
I started playing the instrument when I was only nine, and by 11 I was traveling the world
我从九岁时候开始弹奏，十一岁时开始在世界各地游历，
representing Mongolia at international festivals, living and studying in places like Japan, China, Finland, Germany and Sweden.
在日本，中国，芬兰，德国，瑞典生活和学习时代表蒙古参加国际节日的表演。
But then suddenly, when I was 21, I lost my loving mother, and just two years later I lost my father.
但是突然间，在我21岁时，我失去了我挚爱的母亲，然后仅两年后，又失去了我的父亲。
As an only child, I was devastated and lonely.
作为独生子女，我感觉绝望和孤独。
At the time, the only thing I had left was my country, so I decided to move home.
那时候，我唯一还有的是我的祖国。所以我决定回家。
When I was lost with sorrow, my country gave me a feeling of safety and belonging.
在我因悲伤迷失时，我的祖国给了我安全感和归属感。
I imagined eternal the blue sky of Mongolia as my father and the untouched, gorgeous landscape as my mother.
我把永恒的蒙古蓝天想象成我的父亲，把原始又美丽的风光想象成我的母亲。
Having lived in developed countries for over a decade,
由于已经在发达国家生活了十多年，
I became very distant from the nomadic lifestyles, so I wanted to reconnect and experience it for myself.
我已经离游牧生活方式很远了，所以我想要重建这种连接，重新经历。
I often journeyed away from the city toward my grandparents' provinces in rural Mongolia
我经常从城市出发去我祖父母所在的省份，蒙古的农村，
to see where my parents and I came from, and better understand my own identity.
看一看我和父母出生的地方，去更好了解自己的身份。
Growing up, I'd always heard stories about how Mongolian nomads were the most hospitable people on earth,
在我成长的过程中，总是听说蒙古游牧民族的故事，他们是地球上最热情好客的民族，
and I wanted to see with my own eyes whether they really feed and give shelter to a stranger.
我也想亲眼看看他们是否真的会收留一个陌生人。
So I set off to the countryside, driving along dirt roads for hours.
所以我出发去了乡下，沿着土路行驶了几个小时。
What's incredible about Mongolian nomads is that the neighbors are often 40 kilometers apart,
关于游牧民族不可思议的是邻居间的距离通常有40公里远，
and there's no private land ownership of pasture land in Mongolia.
而且在蒙古没有私人所有的牧场。
In a way, Mongolian nomads have the complete freedom, moving about the gorgeous landscape as they wish.
某种程度上，蒙古游牧民族拥有完全的自由，可以随心所欲地在美丽的风景中穿梭。
Eventually, I spotted to humble yurts and I pulled over.
最终，我遇见了不起眼的蒙古包，然后我停了车。
Yurts, or ger, are a traditional Mongolian dwelling. They're made from one hundred percent natural material,
蒙古包，是传统的蒙古民居。它们由百分之百的天然材料制成的，
a wooden frame and floor, leather rope and thick blankets made from felted sheep's wool.
木制的框架和地板，皮制的绳子和毡羊毛制成的厚毯子。
And it takes about only three to four hours to assemble or disassemble, and keeps them warm through the minus 50 degree Celsius winters.
而且只需要三到四小时就可以组装和拆卸，它们可以在零下50摄氏度的冬天为人们御寒。
Outside the yurt, the kids were playing with sheep and goats, and as I greeted them, their parents welcomed me inside.
在蒙古包外，孩子们在与绵羊、山羊玩耍，我和他们打招呼的时候，他们的父母邀请我进到里面。
The wife poured me nice warm milk tea, and the husband offered me food that they had already prepared on the table.
妻子给我倒了美味的热奶茶，丈夫请我吃了已经在桌子上备好的食物。
After some casual chitchat, the husband politely asked my purpose,
在闲聊一会后，丈夫礼貌地问了我来访的目的，
so I replied bluntly that I was just traveling and exploring my grandparents' roots and that I needed a place to stay as the sun was setting.
于是我直截了当地回答，我只是旅行和探寻一下我祖辈的生活，并且因为快天黑了，所以我需要可以留宿的地方。
And guess what? He said I could stay as long as I needed to, on one condition.
然后你们猜猜发生了什么？他说我可以想住多久就住多久，只有一个条件。
He asked if I would play the morin khuur, our traditional Mongolian horsehead fiddle.
他问我是否会弹莫林胡尔，我们蒙古传统的马头琴。
In my head, I couldn't believe it was coming true. And the horsehead fiddle was like a ticket.
我不敢相信就这样成功了。马头琴就像一张门票。
When Mongolians find out that you can play morin khuur, you're instantly respected.
当蒙古人知道你会拉马头琴时，你马上会受到尊重。
They say its two strings express all the events of the world.
他们说琴上仅有的两条弦就可以表达世界上所有的事情。
I ended up staying with them for nine days, and they didn't even ask me to leave.
我在他们家住了九天，他们从没想让我离开。
I think if I tried to stay there for two months, they would have let me.
我想如果我住两个月，他们也会同意。
And here's the thing: before I met them, I assumed that Mongolian nomads were hospitable out of kindness like anybody else.
因此，我意识到一件事：在我遇见他们之前，我以为蒙古游牧民族和其他人一样热情好客。
But then I realized it was more than that. It was about surviving as a community.
但是我才认识到，他们不只这样。那是作为社区团体的生存技能。
Because nomads live in extremely remote areas, they are completely at the mercy of nature.
因为游牧民族住在偏远地区，所以他们完全受制于大自然。

Heavy snowfall, a sudden flood or a raging storm can devastate a nomadic family.
大雪，突发的洪水，或者一场狂风暴雨都可能摧毁一个游牧家庭。
Today, it's a stranger who needs help, but tomorrow, it could be you.
今天，是一个陌生人需要帮助，但明天，可能就是自己。
That's why they look out for each other and welcome anyone in need of help.
这就是为什么他们会互相照顾，并且欢迎任何需要帮助的人。
This really touched my heart, because I feel like we humans are becoming more and more selfish.
这一点真的非常打动我，因为我觉得人类在变得越来越自私。
Staying with a truly nomadic family awakened me. It was nothing like I've ever seen in developed countries.
与真正的游牧家庭的共处唤醒了我。这与我在发达国家所看到的都不同。
The wife of the family showed me how they produce organic dairy products from scratch,
妻子给我展示了他们如何从零开始生产有机乳制品，
like white cheese, yogurt, tsegee, and even a traditional vodka made from cow milk.
像是白奶酪，酸奶，马奶酒甚至有用牛奶制成的传统伏特加酒。
And every tool they use is made from natural material by hand.
他们用的每个工具都是由天然材料手工打造的。
And inside the yurt, we burned dried cow dung to stay warm instead of using fuel.
在蒙古包内，我们烧干牛粪来取暖，而不使用燃料。
Everything stood in sharp contrast to my city life filled with plastic and steel.
这一切都与我之前充满塑料和钢铁的城市生活形成了鲜明的对比。
And this was a five-senses experience to me, a completely different form of sophistication.
这次对我来说真是全新的体验，一种完全不同的精致生活。
The more I traveled across remote and rural destinations in Mongolia,
在蒙古偏远的乡村走的越多，
the more I understood how ancient nomadic lifestyle was powered by Mother Nature.
我越可以理解大自然母亲如何驱动古老的游牧生活方式。
Nomadic life is truly zero waste. Over the course of six years, I visited more than 20 families, and my experience was always the same.
游牧生活是真正的零浪费。在六年的时间里，我拜访了二十多个家庭，而我的体验总是一样的。
They invited me in, offered me food and gave me a place to stay if I needed it.
他们邀请我，为我提供食物，如果我需要就会为我提供住处。
I was surprised by how little they owned. At first, I thought it was because they moved about four times a year.
我曾非常惊讶于他们拥有的东西之少。开始，我认为是因为他们每年要搬四次家。
OK, that's a very simple logic to understand. You only carry what you need.
是的，这是非常容易理解的逻辑。你只需要带上必要之物。
But then I learned there's a deeper philosophy behind it.
但是之后我了解到在这背后更深的哲学理念。
Historically, nomads believed that we are only passing through this life, that people come and leave naked,
历史上，游牧民族相信我们只是生不带来，死不带走地度过一生，
so they believe that there's no point in building anything that destroys nature or in being greedy for materialistic things
所以他们相信，建造任何会破坏自然的事物，或者贪婪追求物质都是没有意义的，
when your life expectancy is only less than 100 years.
当你的预期寿命不到一百岁时。
Instead, they invest in tradition, heritage, history, and pass it from generation to generation.
相反，他们注重传统、遗产、历史，并且代代相传。
This ancient nomadic philosophy made me realize that I should think bigger and further than my own convenience and comfort.
这个古老的游牧哲学让我意识到，我应该想得更多更远，不只是为了自己的舒适和便捷。
In the Mongolian countryside, I felt a true form of freedom,
在蒙古乡村，我感受了一种真正的自由，
and every time I came back to the city, I looked for ways to live more minimally.
而且每次我回到城市，我都会去寻找更简洁的生活方式。
I digitalized all of my company's paper procedures. What once took 20 packs of A4 paper now takes just one.
我将公司里的所有书面程序数字化。曾经需要20包A4纸的事情现在只需要一包。
I downsized my apartment, reduced my carbon footprint and picked up a habit to rethink my actions,
我换了更小的公寓，减少了我的碳排放，并且养成了重新思考我日常行为的习惯，
like purchasing, choosing transportation, and many other lifestyle choices at home and work.
比如买东西，选择交通工具，以及其他在家和工作中的生活方式。
And most importantly, I stopped working on fast-moving consumer-goods marketing projects
而最重要的是，我不再从事快销品的市场项目，
and now work with organizations that promote sustainability.
而是开始与促进可持续性的组织合作。
But by far the biggest change is that I've started to see development with fresh eyes.
但是，到目前为止，我最大的变化就是开始用崭新的眼光看待发展。
In cities, living in a traditional yurt as a nomad and having less is often interpreted as a sign of poverty,
在城市里，住在传统蒙古包里拥有较少的资产的牧民，通常被理解为贫穷的象征，
not just abroad but at home in Mongolia too.
这不仅在国外，在蒙古也是一样。
We think that the end goal for every developing country is to become the next Tokyo or New York City,
人们认为每个发展中国家的终极目标都是变成下一个东京或者纽约，
with their skyscrapers, big shopping malls and toll roads.
拥有一样的摩天大楼，大型购物中心和收费公路。
Communities around the world are abandoning their traditional lifestyles in pursuit of material wealth.
世界各地的社区都在抛弃传统的生活方式追求物质财富。
But let's not forget, the developed countries are the ones most responsible for climate change.
但是我们不要忘了，那些发达国家最应该为气候变化负责。
So we have to ask ourselves, why do we keep on following the same blueprint when we know it causes harm to the world?
所以我们要问问自己，为什么我们已经知道这样做会危害世界，却还在继续遵循相同的蓝图呢？
We've all experienced the consequences of our choices over the past eight months.
在过去的八个月中，我们都体验到了这些选择的后果。
So doing right by Mother Nature and focusing on earth-friendly, zero-waste habits is not an option anymore.
所以，为大自然母亲做对的事，专注于环境友好，零排放的习惯，不再是一个选项。
And who knows the key ingredients better than our ancestors, the ones who survived without the media or technology but with wisdom alone?
而且，谁会比我们的祖先更了解那些关键的因素，他们在没有媒体或者技术下，依靠仅有的智慧生存下来。
As a citizen of Mongolia, I grew up hearing that developing countries are inferior, and I really took it to heart.
作为蒙古的公民，我从小就听大家说发展中国家处于劣势，而且我真的往心里去了。
But today, I want to say loud and clear that I don't see disadvantages from developing countries anymore.
但是如今，我想大声并响亮地说，我不再认为发展中国家有这些劣势。
On the contrary, I see countries that have the biggest opportunity to do things in the right way,
相反地，我觉得这些国家有更大的机会用正确的方式做事，
countries that can define their own kind of development and have the most advantage to build a better and safer environment for everyone.
他们可以定义自己的发展方式，具有为每个人建立更好、更安全的环境的最大优势。
What worked for our ancestors for thousands of years can work for us now, and in the future, when combined with the latest innovations.
那些祖先们几千年来做的事情现在可以为我们所用，在未来，也可以结合最新的创新。
After all, we're all guests in this world,
说到底，我们都是这个世界的客人，
so let's do right by the earth and each other just like the ancient Mongolian nomads did. Thank you.
所以，让我们像古代的蒙古游牧民族一样，一起为地球和大家做对的事情。谢谢。