However, we are going to backtrack a little and talk about some common facial features a majority of Mongolians will have. If there is one of the most heard stereotypes and usual facial traits of Mongolian people, it would be the high and big cheekbones. Though other Asian types of people do share this facial feature, it seems to be more common among Siberian types of people from Northern and Northeastern Asia.
Usually, the Mongolian nomadic diet is heavy in proteins and dairy which results in better bone development. Also, people living in colder climates do have bigger bodies to retain heat. Lastly, I also hear frequently that Mongolians have rounder faces and have bigger heads. Not sure why that exactly is, but if you look at miss Mongolia, she does embody all of the above facial traits somewhat.
Usually most people I meet during my travels comment on my fair and pale skin. Their expectation of what a Mongolian should look like is painted by TV documentaries or some exposure to Mongolian nomads. Though there are certainly plenty of tanned and dark Mongolians, there are still a lot of pale and fair-skinned Mongolians as well.
However, it seems Mongolian people, in general, do have the ability to tan really easily and have a healthy glow. In fact, having some tan is encouraged and seen as healthy in Mongolian culture , unlike other East Asian countries. Although each and every individual is different from one another, you could separate them into 3 different types of stereotypical looks.
These people live a simpler lifestyle. Hence, their skin has more of a rugged and rough look. Because they are also exposed to the sun more frequently, overall they are much darker and tanned with red blushed cheeks. However, once they no longer live that lifestyle their appearance does tend to get softer and the red cheeks go away. They look much paler and perhaps look more similar to Korean and Kazakh people.
Unless they have distinctive features, city dweller Mongolians most likely will be mistaken for Eastern Asians by most foreigners. Believe it or not, although there are only about 3 million Mongolian citizens, there are still around 20 closely related ethnic groups of Mongolians. Your email address will not be published.
Compare that with the more than cities in China — 65 of which have more than 1 million people. Because of these numbers, our experience in Mongolia was far more peaceful, and we enjoyed the less chaotic, less polluted country. Mongolians in the countryside live in gers and pack up their homes to move to greener pastures times per year. This is one of the most fascinating aspects of the Mongolian culture and lifestyle. While the Chinese enjoy lighter proteins like fish, pork and chicken, Mongolian people love their red meat!
They typically eat sheep, goat, yak and horse. Hearty meats for hearty people, a must for keeping warm in the freezing cold winters. We had our photos taken numerous times while living and travelling there and almost caused a few car accidents because of people staring at us, rather than the road!
In Mongolia, they would give a quick glance at us and carry on about their business — no staring and definitely no photos. For non-native speakers, both languages are extremely hard to pronounce and learn.
Buddhism is a prominent religion. Mongolia and China have very family-oriented cultures. Chinese and Mongolians are both extremely hospitable and friendly people. We miss living in China so much! The experiences we had there were life-changing and unforgettable. We had a blast travelling through Mongolia for 30 days.
The off the beaten path moments we had and the nomadic families and ways of life we encountered are some of our fondest memories, ever. For more information on travelling to these two intriguing countries, check out our Backpacking Guide to China and our Guide to Backpacking Mongolia.
Have you ever been to China or Mongolia, or both?! What do you think of the culture and the people? Tell us below! This means we earn commissions if you click links on our blog and purchase from those retailers. Together they have been travelling and working abroad since and have more than 20 years of combined experience in online business, finance, travel and entrepreneurship. The ebook and course cover everything from designing your blog to growing an audience and earning big money from advertisers.
No smoking in Mongolia?! I had no idea Mongolia was so simplistic with the nomadic lifestyle and only one major city. Sounds like a very different pace from China. I so agree with your points! I love your site and the information you put on here is valid and in my opinion, true.
Tours, backpack the country, or transit? Hostels, tents? What did you do! Most countries think that mongolia and china are same. But truth is very different. Great article! Mongolia is an amazing country, ive been there last year and i had the time of my life.
What a beauty their nature is- nothing like ive seen before. The particulates in the air are twelve times higher than the maximum recommended by the World Health Organization.
We were in UB for a couple of days, but the rest of the time was spent at lakes and out of towns. In mongolia they dont always eat meat they usually eat meat when the weather gets cold so that way they can be healthy winter and in summer they eat vegetables and uses diary they hardly eat meat in summer.
And in the city people eats just as same food as the other people around the world like starting from sushi to lasagna pizza soup etc. Ub is the only air polluted city in mongolia. I lived in China for three years and am now living in Mongolia. Been here one year, will be here for one more.
Overall, this is a good article but a couple of my thoughts: 1 most Mongolians, especially in countryside, dont speak english. I actually think its easier finding english speakers in china-at least in the cities. Many Mongolians think a westerner msy be Russian when they see them. But once they find out they are a westerner, they often are curious. I have had mongolians want to have their pic taken with me, though maybe not as often as in china.
Hello everyone! I really appreciate it. Thank you for wrote! Of course, we are veeery different from chinese. We dislike to chinese. Maybe this feeling is from our blood. I have been to Mongolia for 2 weeks. I would say that some of them look alike Kazakh or half Russian and Mongolian. Recommend you guys. It is true, the northern chinese are usually much taller than mongolians, especially in the north east region of China. However mongolians tend to be stockier regardless of height.
Koreans and Japanese were similar from my perspective , in that they were more passive and reserved. The social rules are also very similar. The Chinese were more bold, this was especially evident with the vendors.
China is multiethnic, whereas Korea is very monoethnic. I loved trying the various types of foods in Beijing. Mongolian air and sky are way better than any other country.
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