History of Ancient Transportation of the Mongolian People - China Mongolian Studies Collection

Author: Deshan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: This ancient transportation history of the Mongolian people spans over 1,300 years, from the middle of the 8th century when the Mongolian nation emerged from the deep mountains and forests of the Daxing'anling Range to the early 20th century. During this long period, the economy of the Mongolian people transitioned from gathering (including simple handicrafts) and hunting to nomadic pastoralism, and then to a semi-pastoral and semi-agricultural economy, with some regions transitioning to agriculture. The social system of the Mongolian people evolved from primitive tribal society to a slave society and then to a feudal society. Politically, the Mongolian people progressed from Mongolian tribes to a tribal alliance, gradually growing stronger and establishing the Mongol Empire (Menggu State), the Great Mongol Empire, and the Yuan Dynasty, followed by the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Later, due to internal conflicts and lacking a unified leader, they were pressured and lured by the military and political tactics of the Later Jin Dynasty, eventually submitting to the Qing Dynasty and being divided into leagues and banners under Qing rule—specifically, 57 banners in the northern grasslands, 49 banners in the southern grasslands, and several banners in the western grasslands. After the Xinhai Revolution, the northern grasslands Mongols declared independence and established the Mongolian People's Republic. Over 800 years of wandering, the Mongolian people returned to their homeland, the Mongolian Plateau.
From a spatial perspective: The Mongolian people emerged from the source of the Erguna River in the deep mountains and forests of the Hinggan Range in the 8th century, established their foothold in the three river basins of the Khentei Mountains, and gradually grew stronger. In the 13th century, they rose to prominence as Genghis Khan unified the Mongolian Plateau and Kublai Khan unified China. The descendants of Genghis Khan conquered both Europe and Asia, establishing the Four Khanates and reaching their peak, encompassing most of China and the continents of Europe and Asia, stepping onto the world stage and leaving a glorious legacy in history. This mighty Mongol Empire, however, was arrogant in its relentless expansion abroad and ignorant of consolidating its own rule. It knew only oppression and exploitation, never rest and recuperation, leading to constant internal strife within the ruling class. Unable to escape the inevitable intensification of social contradictions caused by the exploitative system, the empire gradually declined from prosperity to decline, from strength to weakness, and ultimately could not avoid the law that water can both carry a boat and capsize it.
Ancient Mongolian transportation roads, against the backdrop of all these developments, evolved from nothing to something, from few to many, from domestic to international, from backward to progressive, and advanced in a tortuous path along with the changes of society.