HOME China1 - RPCV Madison
we all need a home
© 1987 Charles Eilers
China
Nomadic Kirghiz Home
The Kirghiz family is camped on their high altitude summer pastures. The wide grassland separates the glacier-clad peaks of the Pamir mountains of Tajikistan from the Kunlun mountains of western China. The Kirghiz are pastoral nomads. They move with their grazing sheep, goats, horses, yak and Bactrian camels. When the winter snows come, the Kirghiz drive their animals to lower valleys. Therefore, their warm dome shaped houses must be portable. Its felt cover, lattice frame walls, and roof poles are easily bundled up and loaded on camel back when it is time to move. The felt home is commonly called a yurt, a name given by Russians who visited Central Asia. However, the Kirghiz prefer their own Turkic word, uy (oo ee). The same type of home is also used in Mongolia where it is called ger. --Charles Eilers, Peace Corps/Nigeria, 1966-67; Peace Corps/Ethiopia 1967-69 China (People’s Republic of China) Capital Beijing Population 1,338,612,968 (2009 est.) Life Expectancy 73.47 years Literacy 90.9% (age 15 and over can read and write) Languages Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Fuzhou, others Religions (officially atheist), Taoist, Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% Government Communist State Source: The World Factbook, 2009
This photo appears on the we all need a home International Poster, produced by the RPCVs of WisconsinMadison, 2009. For more information and to order a complete set of full-size posters, see http://www.rpcvmadison.org/
© 1987 Charles Eilers
China
Nomadic Kirghiz Home
The Kirghiz family is camped on their high altitude summer pastures. The wide grassland separates the glacier-clad peaks of the Pamir mountains of Tajikistan from the Kunlun mountains of western China. The Kirghiz are pastoral nomads. They move with their grazing sheep, goats, horses, yak and Bactrian camels. When the winter snows come, the Kirghiz drive their animals to lower valleys. Therefore, their warm dome shaped houses must be portable. Its felt cover, lattice frame walls, and roof poles are easily bundled up and loaded on camel back when it is time to move. The felt home is commonly called a yurt, a name given by Russians who visited Central Asia. However, the Kirghiz prefer their own Turkic word, uy (oo ee). The same type of home is also used in Mongolia where it is called ger. --Charles Eilers, Peace Corps/Nigeria, 1966-67; Peace Corps/Ethiopia 1967-69 China (People’s Republic of China) Capital Beijing Population 1,338,612,968 (2009 est.) Life Expectancy 73.47 years Literacy 90.9% (age 15 and over can read and write) Languages Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Fuzhou, others Religions (officially atheist), Taoist, Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% Government Communist State Source: The World Factbook, 2009
This photo appears on the we all need a home International Poster, produced by the RPCVs of WisconsinMadison, 2009. For more information and to order a complete set of full-size posters, see http://www.rpcvmadison.org/
