A journey through Mongolia | DW Documentary

for a few days Berlin's Adlon hotel has become a green showroom even at the Berlin Fashion Week's sustainability is an issue [Music] Cyril Fischer designs fashions made from high-quality cashmere wool and markets them under her own label Adel tiga or luxury goat when I was thinking about a name for the label I wanted one that people would remember there's a touch of humor in the name we women can be irritable sometimes like goats but were also luxurious creatures and we like to buy quality products so that's where the name Adel tiga comes from [Music] Cyril who was born in Mongolia lives and works as a designer in plowin in the German state of Saxony you don't have to live in Berlin to make nice things you can also conquer the world from a place like what brought me here was love I've barely heard of the place before but then I met my future husband and it was settled Cyril returns to her native land twice a year [Music] I'm a Venetian uncommon and whenever I come back to Mongolia I'm so happy that I start to cry I'm simply filled with joy because it's so good to be back home sir rules love of her homeland inspired her to combine her work and her private life her family including her oldest sister has come to the airport to welcome her it's the end of September you can't do anything about the weather we fortune hunters always arrive with the first snow sneer it's 8 o'clock Sunday morning there aren't many people here on the streets of Mongolia's capital who land barter you can see that the city is growing rapidly [Music] so rules family history is rather complicated there are two truths in my life I came to East Germany at the age of eleven with my parents and my two sisters a few years later I learned that I'd been adopted but I'd actually known my biological parents since I was a child my biological mother was my adoptive father's older sister I was sort of handed from one part of the family to another it's taken some getting used to but it wasn't a huge shock or anything it's just something I had to deal with in fact it turned out to be a very positive experience I have a large family with lots of brothers and sisters I have one family in Germany and another in Mongolia it's time for a hearty breakfast Cyril's brother-in-law's that Lihue is happy to see her again our little sister flew in from Germany the first snow of the year started to fall that's always a good sign it means that her business will continue to do well and her family will be happy and that makes me happy too the whole [Music] don't feed the pigeons drones from the loudspeakers in front of the ganden monastery for centuries Buddhism was practiced in Mongolia but when it became a Soviet satellite state in the 1920s religion was suppressed food ISM was banned by the socialist regime you couldn't practice your religion in public I remember people doing it in secret during the Communist period most of the monasteries were torn down after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Mongolia began adopting democratic reforms including freedom of religion here Buddhists pray before a portrait of the Dalai Lama nah masses actions by European standards I don't consider myself particularly religious it's just something you're born into with your mother's milk with your food it's part of your everyday life it's not forced on you people practice their religion when they have time or when they need to I think it's quite natural for people to do this for example when women purify their handbags with incense it's like they're purifying their soul or their spirit or a guys just over a million people live in Allen Bart or the Capitals main square is dedicated to Chinggis Khaan who founded the Mongol Empire in the early 13th century it's a magnificent square I love it because it's so big it reminds me of how large Mongolia really is the square is very symbolic and everyone meets here one's on strike often Chinese khandhas you can see our pride in chinki's Khan everywhere but it's sort of silly that so many things have been named after him I noticed that every time I come back here from Germany there's chingy's can beer can beer and a jinkies can restaurant in hotel I wouldn't be surprised if there's a jinkies can brand of soap - my sister and I used to come here and play we used to swing on those big chains here is one of my childhood heroes it's Zeus batter he liberated Mongolia from the Chinese in the early 1920s Union was our socialist big brother for a long time but we didn't have too much trouble with that compared to East Germans who didn't want anything to do with the Russians I never experienced anything like that here the Mongolian aged when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991 Mongolia was left on its own it began a rapid transition from socialism to capitalism and this offered exciting new opportunities for many still about one third of the population lives in poverty today but in the capital you'll see many people who are well-dressed and modern [Applause] us that will impart or is a young and lively city there are lots of young people and lots of contrasts most Europeans don't know very much about Mongolia they think people live in Europe's those big tents and ride around on horseback they think it's just a big wide-open space with no houses or anything on Nick's viaduct Ulaanbaatar is growing by leaps and bounds and the construction sector is booming that is a Vanagon against ocean you can feel the energy here there's lots of construction a lot of new buildings are going up sure it's nice to live in a yurt they look great they're traditional and it's kind of a romantic way to live but just because you have these romantic ideas it doesn't mean that you have to spend all your time living in a yurt it's also nice to have running water and electric lights societies have to develop the old ways won't disappear entirely but then you've got people paving over a piece of land and putting up a house people have mixed feelings about that this is Sue's baby [Applause] [Music] the rules biological mother lives about a hundred kilometres north of who-ville Umberto in EF Provence [Laughter] Cyril was 18 years old when she found out that she'd been adopted this is one of my favorite photos it was taken on my wedding day both of my mothers are there they got all dressed up for the occasion next to them are my two sisters when Sir rules in Germany she's known as big sister but in Mongolia she's little sister because she's the youngest she always shows respect for her family which is a very typical aspect of Mongolian culture [Music] landschaft is another Finnish and when I come to visit my mother the landscape here reminds me a little of the land in Germany or the Bavarian Alps with the hills and mountains I'm happy here it's my home it makes me feel good before before I started traveling regularly to Mongolia I used to have this vague feeling of homesickness that was natural because I was born in Mongolia but I think that people are also part of what makes a place your home [Music] Cyril's mother has lived here for nearly 30 years under the socialist regime she worked as a bookkeeper at a rest home the government gave her a pot of land Battiston who started out with 70 head of cattle four horses and 100 sheep but after my husband died I just couldn't do all the work by myself so I sold most of the animals now I only have ten head of cattle this is our summer home by the way my husband and I built it together summer is the best time of year for the children and the animals they need to be outside near the river get into Mongolian people move around a lot during the year it's good for your soul to move around like that [Music] this is a Mongolian children's song mom oh man our toys are totally have each holding interesting talk zombie show Marin's dopey up machine bet Joe via non-selling ya know Vinny Madoff Isaac II when Mongolians go off on a trip people toss a little milk behind them it is supposed to make sure that you arrived safe and sound and have an auspicious journey Sarang says she's glad that she has two mothers and when she returns to Germany she can tell her adoptive mother all about her latest trip to Mongolia [Music] [Applause] [Music] Cyril was 11 years old when she and her family moved to Germany she has fond memories of her childhood in Mongolia I grew up in this neighborhood this sports field belongs to the local school kids were always playing here in the winter they'd cover the field with water to make a skating rink oh my you were fun yeah there used to be a lot of open space here but now there are more houses it's really different there are a lot of cars no.2 back then we could play on the streets I learned how to ride a bicycle here we jumped rope and played hide-and-seek see that green house over there I lived there this was a neighborhood for a privileged fume sir rules adopted father worked for a government ministry we lived on the fifth floor up there where you can see the satellite dish the five of us lived in a two-room apartment my parents slept in the living room and we three kids shared the other room after you paid well times have certainly changed I don't recognize the place anymore I haven't seen these high-rise buildings before all you could see back then was sky I used to take a shortcut by jumping over this fence longus this is house god this house wasn't here then the schoolyard seemed so huge back then now it looks so small Cyril says she was a lazy student and had a tough time getting started in the morning she remembers that the teachers often used Lenin's famous quote learn learn and learn Cyril knows that many children in Mongolia won't have the chance to improve their lives poverty is widespread and that's why she gets involved in social programs we visit a local children's home would Ivana has lived in Ulaanbaatar since 1992 she's a former teacher who looks after children who are physically or mentally disabled many of them are orphans or Street kids the facility is financed mostly through private donations and is staffed by volunteers [Music] this year we had a volunteer from Germany and one from Switzerland they just came to help they also go out into the countryside how many kids are here now right now we have sixteen including one who just came back from Germany good adopted for children here including orgie who's now 22 I love you I love you too [Applause] so I Genovese I wanted to know what their financial situation was they get little or no funding from the government who'd just told me that they have gotten a little money recently Cyril wants to do something to help she has decided to put a link about woods home on her own website good night what you know what will care for the children until they're grown up and have learned a trade we're now about 300 kilometers north of uh Lombardo this is Mongolia's agricultural heartland this year's harvest is now over [Music] this is the sailing region Cyril sisters brother-in-law has leased thirteen hundred hectares of land from the government so he can grow grain crops he makes a lot of money but his real pride and joy are his horses I like horse racing it's my hobby I'd love to do it more than anything else I didn't used to have so many horses but ten years ago I started to expand the herd one by one a family of nomads looks after the horses that includes milking them regularly then in Abu Dhabi we will regard yeah I'm Kyle exact here they just said that the horses and cows aren't giving much milk right now maybe that's due to the weather well the noise the herders make that's supposed to get the milk flowing Cyril says she doesn't really like to ride it's one of those cliches about Mongolia that she tries to avoid but today she makes an exception here they're staring a big pot of fresh mares milk this is the first stage of the fermentation process it takes two hours to brew it and they have to churn it regularly fermented mares milk is Mongolia's national beverage even Chinggis Khaan is said to have enjoyed it it's slightly alcoholic and is supposed to be good for digestion but for most Europeans Iraq or fermented mares milk is definitely an acquired taste Mira's milk has lots of benefits it's like medicine it also tastes good and it's good for you and there's lots of vitamins dyma here's their Shepherd with his flock of sheep and goats Cyril explains why she has a special affection for the goats the cashmere goats are my co-workers so to speak to just big balls of wool there you can see the natural colors of the wool gray brown white and black the soft under fleece grows best in cold weather at the end of winter the fleece is combed out and processed to remove impurities goats don't produce much fleece a single cashmere sweater for example may contain wool from up to four goats doors minor Albert my work allows me to visit Mongolia so I can combine business and pleasure but I always do what's best for my business Cyril doesn't seem to be interested in the wool of these yaks even though many consider yak wool a superior alternative to cashmere [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] it's time now to focus on the business end of the trip I Drive to a vampire or early in the morning the roads are bumpy which wakes me up Cyril is on her way to a knitting mill in a Mongolian capital she's been working with the staff for years which candidate of Messina Priscilla in theory I could have the wool produced in China or Bangladesh but I don't I want it produced in Mongolia first of all this is my homeland and I want to keep people working second the wool comes from Mongolia third there's a legally mandated minimum wage here when I call the mill and someone says that they're working on clothes for my collection it makes me happy I have a real working relationship with these people and it's sustainable [Applause] you need better when I come in here it's like a toy store or a candy store for me I love looking at all the colors and seeing what the wool looks like before it becomes part of my line of clothing the material has a special feel and even a special smell and when I'm back in Germany in my studio I think of it and feel inspired but she's also in spirit if this young man is programming the computer that runs the knitting machines he has all the patterns right here in the office he's developed a lot of new patterns with geometrical figures and plant motifs [Music] one of the patterns is controversial in most Western countries the swastika [Music] the mostest this pattern is very popular not only a Mongolia but throughout Asia it's a symbol of eternity no beginning and no end ona end there in our language we call it - moon - moon us literally ten thousand years I have mixed feelings about this pattern I know that on the one hand the symbol is band but here it's a very popular symbol this is different cultures different patterns these are two worlds and there are different feelings about that the Mongols were great warriors they conquered almost half the known world including parts of Europe maybe that's why others use the swastika symbol because the Mongols were invincible yes they're all mates with a Mongolian designer to discuss patterns for next season's collection it's a long way from her first sketches made in plowin to the final product here in Mongolia and of course the design is only really brought to life when a customer starts wearing it but Cyril knows how to put her ideas across she has a college degree in communication studies Cyril her sister-in-law or yuna and brother-in-law him asan are flying to Mongolia's lake country about 1400 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar [Music] it's a Dutchman will you cut my hair I'm both German and Mongolian so I may have some very idealistic thoughts about my country you see the pristine natural landscape but then you realize that civilization has really encroached on it here there's a lot of new construction that's fine because the country should develop itself a vertical but we also see the same sort of corruption that's found in other countries particularly in the developing world many people in Mongolia are upset about that [Applause] the music blaring from the loudspeaker here at the bus station is coming from an indoor market nearby [Music] Ivanova Hartford diamond the transition to capitalism has been difficult for Mongolia people had no idea how to deal with a market economy I remember that during one of my visits there was nothing in the shops people used food stamps but they learned pretty quickly how capitalism works many of them went overseas to get an education others took the first steps by getting into commerce because Mongolia doesn't really have a manufacturing sector people decided to start importing goods like food clothing cars just about anything Merson built this market himself and his wife all Yoona is in charge of renting the stalls just camel's milk tastes different from mares milk sure and it's good for you when you get a winter cold but camel's milk isn't easy to find next is it difficult to find goods to sell way out here it is the region is close to the Russian border and a lot of people import food products from Russia I borrow for student most of the other goods clothes for example come from China from Beijing in the same way they lost to bitching [Music] boy Anna's husband comes from the Earth's region he studied in Russia and then worked for the government in Iran Bartok until the collapse of communism I've been running my own businesses since 1991 that's 23 years I've worked in the sheepskin industry in agriculture tourism and car repair in the transport sector I've got experience in a lot of different areas since 2004 he's been investing in his home region that's really important to him these days over the last few years I've seen a lot of investment in building new roads and improving old ones people are investing in the extraction of natural resources that's caused some controversy because a lot of foreign investors are interested and the government's been awarding contracts to them but many Mongolians don't want to see so many foreign investors here it's a touchy subject [Music] him arson is interested in investing in natural resources Mongolia is rich in copper gold and rare earth metals it's time now to relax so everyone's off to Lake ki are gas a few hundred kilometers east of Allah and Gong him a son runs a summer camp here Mongolians are very hospitable people they're also quite curious they always welcome visitors you don't have to make an appointment I don't understand why in Germany you have to make an appointment for just about everything even to see your friends I tell people they should just drop by but that doesn't happen very often [Applause] this is the first time sir rule has been here this is a collective I believe this place is pretty remote it's close to the Russian border about a thousand kilometers from Ulaanbaatar I've never had time to come here so I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like it was already dark when we got here but tomorrow we'll be able to see the lake the desert and the camels but right now I'm going to bed so I can get up early tomorrow [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the group's hosts are butchering a sheep in honor of the guests he's reaching in and opening the aorta they ask that the first drops of blood are a sacrifice to nature it's a way to give thanks for our food that's what it's becoming foreign visitors might find this ritual a bit unsettling it doesn't seem so cruel to me they killed the sheep for food and they'll use every part of it that's the way of life here just kill em here that's who you are no decision [Applause] this trip to Mongolia has been a real inspiration for Cyril she's picked up many new ideas for clothing designs when I'm in Europe in general and in Germany in particular I miss Mongolia's landscape they don't have these wide-open spaces that are so pleasing to the eye the one the slam is food this is a sure I'd land as wild and primitive and that gives a person a solid foundation you become one with nature there's nothing artificial here this land reflects the essence of the nomads who live here [Music] surles brother-in-law has some camels and this Shepherd is caring for them in fact he's looking after several herds here at bucks there are fewer camels here look over there oh yeah there's a lot of them [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] double quotes are huge the humps are hard unbelievable but it's amazingly comfortable became only a few travelers come here during the summer the real focus here is not on tourism but on the animals which supply wool milk and meat and of course there are the camel races which are held every winter they can get bitterly cold here sometimes down to minus 40 Celsius surles hosts have been preparing the Sheep for their guests meat is very important for nomads they can't survive without it the fat from the meat gives you energy it can get down to minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter and more than 40 degrees in the summer sometimes even 60 in the Gobi Desert and in the cold you need the fat from the meat to survive you won't find any vegetarian nomads I'm submission decision and I'm worried that Mongolia's beautiful and unique natural environment may be damaged once the nomads can no longer follow their traditional way of life I hope that the changes don't come too quickly and that some thought has put in to preserving our culture and environment first and on caption 100 this nearby prayer mound is supposed to bring peace wisdom and happiness and the pocket when you're a teenager you try to fit in with the other kids you try to look like they do so you'll be accepted you don't want to stand out in a crowd but because I'm Asian people in Germany noticed me I feel pretty much like I'm German but they see me as a Mongolian still if you can accept the fact that you've grown up in two different countries and two different traditions it can be quite satisfying maybe it's inappropriate for me to say I'm special but yes I've finally figured out who I am and where I belong [Music] [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Applause]

Channel: DW Documentary

Views: 160,005

Keywords: documentary, kashmir, ulaanbaatar, home, fashion label, fashion week, nature, DW, Deutsche Welle

Id: ykAisB_4WLg

Length: 42min 33sec (2553 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 11 2017