2. She got off of her hardy horse and stepped onto the moist green grass that
was so very different from her home country in Karakorum. Khutlunun had
finally arrived to the new capitol Beijing from the old capitol of the
Mongolian empire Karakorum.
3. It was the rule of the Chengzong because the great Kublai Khan, who had
founded the Yuan dynasty of China, was now dead.
4. She was KHUTULUN, also called the shining moon. She was the niece of
Kublai khan, the founder of the Mongolian Yuan dynasty in China. She was
strong, beautiful and powerful. She was a military trained woman who was
afraid of absolutely nothing.
5. Her uncle had recently passed away and she was finally relocating to the new
capital of the empire, much to her disdain. She would have much rather stayed
in the simple but resourceful Karakorum.
6. She had heard many tales of this new capitol and its extravagance and beauty.
She had also heard about the women living in this city and their oppressed
lives. She had also been warned not to travel alone, however she compeltly
disregarded that.
7. She had rode for days and days and was weary, smelly, and a little frazzled.
Getting off her horse she approached the gates of the great city. The gate
keeper seeing her told her to be off, this greatly angered her and she stood
their for many minutes arguing with him.
8. His fellow gate keeper (mind you they were both Chinese NOT Mongolian)
was completely shell shocked that a women had the nerve to argue with a
man! However she remained completely oblivious.
9. Finally after he realized who she was they let her through. They tried to take
her horse but she absolutely refused. She led her horse through the gates of
the capitol Beijing, for some reason however she did not notice all the weird
stares she was getting from people all around her.
10. Walking through the mighty capitol she was taken back. This was very
different from Karakorumโฆ.
11. This city was extravagant and colorful. The towers, which were much more
elaborate and decorated then the tents of Karakorum, were tall and intricately
designed. In the distance she could even see the tent of the ruling
Khan, which was even more elaborate of a tent then what she was used to.
12. Vs.
The thing that fascinated her the most, however, was the people of this city.
The difference between the Chinese and the Mongolians was completely
apparent to anyone who walked the streets of Beijing. Especially the
difference between the women.
13. She knew that the Mongolians worked very hard to keep their culture
separated from the ethnic Chinese, and now she knew why.
14. The women walking down the street looked soโฆ.delicate! Khutlulun was
disgusted. They walked about with heavy and elaborate dresses, reserved and
submissive to the man at their side. They even had a hard time
walking, hobbling slowly down the street. โWhy is that?โ she thought.
15. She approached a fruit stand with an elderly ethnic Chinese man working.
The surprise on his face that a women was actually approaching him was
evident. It was obvious that Mongolian women didnโt frequent this area often.
16. โHow are you today,โ Khutlunun said
With surprise written all over his face he finally stumbled across the words, โFine, what would
you likeโ
Khutlunun then went on to ask why the Chinese women were hobbling about so very timidly.
He then preceded to explain about the practice of foot binding. At a young age the girls bind
their feet because small feet are a sign of beauty.
17. Khutlunun took off down the street completely dismayed. She could not help
but notice the oppression and angst on their faces. This was so very different
then what she was used to in Karakorum, their women walked with heads held
high, they walked with pride and power and confidence. โWhat a shame,โ she
thought.
18. It finally hit her how uneducated on other cultures she was. Her new goal was
to learn all about the Chinese culture while living here. Even though it was
forbidden to actually practice Chinese activities she was going to become
educated on how they lived, and maybe even help their women find
themselves some independence.
19. CITATIONS:
Fox, Susan. "Mongolia Monday." Susan Fox. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov 2011.
<http://foxstudio.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/mongolia-monday-choidog-legendary-mongol-
horse-trainer-has-passed-away/>.
"Yuan Dynasty." Travel China Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov 2011.
<http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/yuan/>.
"The best of Asia ." Global Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov 2011.
<http://forum.globaltimes.cn/forum/showthread.php?t=17021>.
"In memory of Zulsar." Mongolia Culture Blog. N.p., October 12th. Web. 17 Nov 2011. <
http://mongolculture.blogspot.com/>.
. "Shangguan Wanโer โ First Female Premier in Chinese History." Ancient Chinese Culture. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Nov 2011. <http://www.chinancient.com/shangguan-waner/>.
