Life and Leisure

Descent into travesty

By Jules Quartly (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-16 08:00

The Mausoleum of Genghis Khan, with its 360-degree view of the plains beneath your feet, is like sitting on top of the world and is a fitting resting place for history's greatest warrior.

This spot marks the place where the Great Khan (1162-1227) is said to have paused during his long-running campaign to conquer the world. According to legend he dropped his riding crop and when he picked it up he also grabbed some grass, looked at it, and decided this was the place to spend eternity.

That's the story and everyone in Xinjie town, Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is sticking to it, though it is generally accepted elsewhere that his remains were scattered near Ulaanbaatar, in Mongolia. The funeral arrangements were so secretive that 800 soldiers are said to have slaughtered the 2,000 people involved.

Nevertheless, the mausoleum built in 1954 and a half-hour journey by car from Kangbashi, is a place of pilgrimage for people from all over the world.

The three domes of the main structure are shaped like Mongolian yurts and are connected by corridors, with a main hall featuring a 4-meter white jade statue of the warrior leader. Frescoes depict his life and that of his grandson, Kublai Khan (1215-1294).

On either side of the main memorial hall are two chambers. The arms and ammunition of Genghis Khan are displayed in the west hall, while the east hall supposedly houses the remains of Khan and the coffins of his wife, consorts and fourth son.

Facing the mausoleum, to the left, is a raised stupa, where banner flags flutter, flowers are left and incense is burned. Sitting on the stupa, watching the sun set over the grasslands, is a refreshingly spiritual experience; which is more than can be said for the nearby museum "dedicated" to Khan's memory.

I rarely dislike museums, it's like speaking ill of the dead, but for 90 yuan ($13.31) this was a travesty, unless you are fan of kitsch.

A hugely impressive memorial welcomes visitors, after which you walk through a theme park of cast iron Mongol hordes rampaging across the prairie, with giant mobile yurts on wheels pulled by cast iron oxen that transported the Khan and his family on their conquests.

Here you will be ambushed to buy souvenirs and dress up as the Khan or his wife for a picture. It is tawdry commercialism and not for the faint hearted.

The museum has only a giant frieze of the great man's life story to recommend it and frankly the movie, The Rise of Genghis Khan, directed by Sergei Bodrov, is more informative and uplifting.

China Daily