Vincent Lin

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For most people, Mongolia is a country full of mystery, and many never have the chance to set foot on its land in a lifetime. However, there are still a lucky few who get to encounter this legendary place. Christopher Schrader is one of them.

As a member of the British Royal Geographical Society (RGS), he shared his experience of exploring Mongolia at Shenzhen Merchiston School on November 28 in a lecture themed “Mongolia Extremes.” As the son of Dutch parents, he was raised in Hong Kong. In 2011, when he was still in high school, he joined a trip that involved trekking across the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, covering a distance of 2,000 km in two months. Along the way, he met local Kazakh nomads who reside in areas as cold as 60 degrees Celsius below zero. After finishing the Gobi journey, he then went to west Mongolia to stay with one of his nomad friends and eagle hunters for three months. “Since then, about one or two months a year, I will go to Mongolia either for exploration or just to see my friends.”

“Life is very simple there. Everything is temporary. Nomads move and don’t really have a home. The idea of ownership and possession doesn’t exist, except for the strong family relationships (as well as relationships with friends and neighbors). It’s easy to be disrupted by other things in life. Living in this seemingly isolated place reminds me what’s really important,” Schrader said.

Schrader is impressed by two main qualities possessed by the nomads. “One is hospitality. Guests are always treated as VIPs. I am still served with the best food and teas, given the best space to sleep even when I appear at someone’s home at midnight and we had never met before.”

He ponders that their tough way of life led Mongolians to become among of the kindest in the world. “You don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so you need to rely on each other.”

Secondly, the people’s cheerfulness when facing various situations impressed him. “They never complain or get unhappy even when things go really badly. They always stay positive and take on challenges.”

Environmental sustainability was a key part of Schrader’s lecture. He is very passionate about protecting the diversity of life and sharing lessons he has learned. “I hope students find something motivating in my description of the harsh nomadic life. Maybe some of them will be inspired to make a difference in the future.”