The grasslands quietly fade within the lines of your reading.

Their eyes are hollow, as if unable to see the ever-intensifying cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death in these passing days.

草原在你字里行间的阅读中悄然消弭

它们的眼里很空洞

像是望不见这日子里愈演愈烈的生老病死

A nomad describes the grasslands: "Every place has its own guardian. The mountain god is the owner of the sacred mountains, just as I am the owner of this tent. We must not destroy the places where the gods and their people reside."

They say, "We and the sheep rely on each other. We take care of them—letting them out in the morning, bringing them home at night, and tending to them when they are sick. At the same time, we cannot live without them. The butter and meat we eat, the clothes and shoes we wear, and even the black tents we used to live in all come from them."

In northern and western China, more than 400 million mu (approximately 26.7 million hectares) of grasslands stretch across multiple provinces and regions. These vast grasslands are home to over 10 million people. Even today, about 1.3 million people from 300,000 households continue to maintain the traditional nomadic lifestyle. Nomadism follows the rhythm of the seasons, moving with the water and grass. In Inner Mongolia, people describe it as: "A yurt, a cart, and a saddle—riding in all directions." However, this way of life, with its constant movement and lack of permanent settlement, is not conducive to socio-economic and cultural development. Depending on nature for livestock means that reproduction and disaster resistance among livestock are weak, making them highly vulnerable to natural disasters and human crises. Productivity remains low and unstable. Nomadic life is harsh, with extreme simplicity in clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Access to education, medical care, and shopping is difficult. Additionally, the lack of technical skills among herders narrows their employment opportunities, leading to slow and highly variable income growth.

对于草原，一个牧民是这样描述的：“每个地方有每个地方的主人，山神是神山的主人，就像我是这个帐篷的主人一样。我们不能去破坏神和他的子民居住的地方。” 

他们说：“我们和羊是相互依靠的关系。我们会照顾牛羊，早上会把它们放出去，晚上会把它们赶回家，生病了也会照顾它们，同时我们离不开它们，我们吃的酥油和肉，穿的衣服和鞋，甚至以前住的（黑帐篷）都是它们提供的。”   

在中国北部和西部的多个省区，有着40多亿亩草原。在这些广袤的草原上居住着1000多万人口。直到现在，他们中的一部分约有30多万户130万人，仍在维持着传统的游牧生活方式。所谓游牧，是指依季节的变化逐水草而居。在内蒙古草原，人们将其形容为：“蒙古包，勒勒车，马蹬一踩走四方。”这种四季游牧、居无定所的生活方式不利于社会经济文化的发展。由于靠天养畜，牲畜的繁殖能力和抗灾能力都较弱，极易受天灾人祸的打击，生产力平低而不稳定。他们生活艰苦，衣食住行极为简陋，上学、求医、购物都很困难。再加上牧民缺乏技术操作能力，使得牧民就业渠道窄，收入增长缓慢且浮动很大。