Borderline Gardening

Based on ethnographic fieldwork among Chinese nationals working in Mongolia, this research note explores various forms of gardening that unfolded as side-projects at sites where Chinese enterprises were engaged in the extraction of oil, zinc and fluorspar. At first, the organisation and activities o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Copenhagen journal of Asian studies Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 99 - 112
Main Author Bunkenborg, Mikkel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published CBS Open Journals 08.12.2021
Subjects
China
extractive industries
garden
Mongolia
natural resources
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Summary:Based on ethnographic fieldwork among Chinese nationals working in Mongolia, this research note explores various forms of gardening that unfolded as side-projects at sites where Chinese enterprises were engaged in the extraction of oil, zinc and fluorspar. At first, the organisation and activities of these Chinese operations appeared to stem from a penchant for walled compounds and gardening. However, on closer inspection, the horticultural enclaves were not really a unilateral imposition of a culturally determined aesthetics, but rather the outcome of a negotiation, informed by prevailing ethnic stereotypes, of the proper form a Chinese presence could assume in Mongolia.
ISSN:1395-4199
2246-2163
DOI:10.22439/cjas.v39i2.6387