Food.Nature.People.Architecture

C u i s i n e . N a t u r e . G e n s . A r c h i t e c t u r e

Mâncare.Natură.Oameni.Arhitectură

Хоол . Б ай г а л ь . Х үм ү ү с . А р хи т е к т у р음 식 . 자 연 . 사 람 . 건 축

饮 食 . 自 然 . 人 . 建 筑

อ า ห า ร . ธ ร ร ม ช า ต . ค น . ส ถ า ปั ต ย ก ร ร ม

Е д а . П р и р о д а . Л ю д и . А р х и т е к т у р а

Dinspre est către est

From Far East to East

从东到东С Востока на Восток

De l’est vers l’est

จากทิศตะวนัออกถึงตะวนัออก

동쪽에서 동쪽으로Зүүн зүгээс зүүн хойд зүгт

Razvan - George GORCEA

Mulţumiri speciale părinţilor mei pentru susţinerea si încrederea pe care mi-o acordă. Mulţumesc mamei mele pentru că m-a făcut să descopăr din copilărie natura si aventura. Mulţumesc tatălui meu pentru că-mi este mentor permanent si se îngrijeşte de formarea mea.

Remerciements particuliers à Monsieur Remy Butler, pour m’avoir ouvert les yeux à l’Asie, et pour l’affection paternelle qu’il me porte.

© 2011 Razvan-George Gorcea

© 2011 Razvan-George Gorcea

episode 03

COMING FROM CHINA TO MONGOLIA,I REALIZED THAT…

EASTERN EUROPE BEGINS HERE!

“AT THE BORDER”

LOCATION:The Chinese – Mongolian border:Erenhot or Erlian or Eriyen or Ereen or 二连浩特 or Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China

FO

OD

The famous Trans Mongolian train stops more than 10 hours in the bor-

der city of Erenhot, China. They must change the wagons wheel width from the standard gauge to the Rus-sian gauge (wider). The restaurants flourish in the city. Everything is written in 4 alphabets (Chinese,

Mongol, Russian and rarely English).

Outside train station Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China

2 COUNTRIES – 4 LANGUAGES

FO

OD

Some local rice dish and warm tea was served for breakfast along with my train cabin roommates from Hong Kong. The water is boiled in this custom made samovar. The inside

double wall allows to put the coil under and the water in the outer

chamber.

BREAKFAST

Outside train station Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China

FO

OD

Fireworks announced the opening of a new Chinese restaurant in town. I go along with my Hong Kong com-panions. We had a delicious mix of Chinese food, prepared and served

just beside our table. We could find everything to eat in this city in

the middle of the desert.

Restaurant in Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China

RESTAURANT OPENING

FO

OD

NATU

RE

What separates Mongolia from China are not the mountains – it is the Gobi Desert - a horizon-tal frontier, the widest cold desert in the world. After one night in the train from Hohhot, we wake up in the train and we find out we are in the middle of nowhere, still on the Chinese side of the desert – just sand

and bushes.

On the train before Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China

WAKING UP IN THE DESERT

NATU

RE

NATU

RE

Slowly, the Inner Mongolia province of China begins to inhabit the desert. As

huge site of exploitation of natural re-sources are built, new colonies appear, thousands of kilometers of highway are

being constructed. The roads are planted besides with trees, agriculture fields appear in the middle of the desert.

On the train near Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China

COLONIZING THE DESERT

NATU

RE

NATU

RE

In Inner Mongolia, province of China live more than 4 million Mongol ethnics

(double of the entire population of Mongolia). But the most of them aren’t nomads anymore. What one can see in the shape of their ancient type of house (“ger” or “yurt”) they are actually

tourist camps, or restaurant or actu-ally settled houses with concrete walls

white painted.

On the train before Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China

FAKE NOMADS

NATU

RE

From Hohhot, capital city of Inner Mongolia there is a train to Ulaanbaatar leaving twice a week. This Trans-Mongolian train crosses the Gobi desert and the vast Mongolian steppe in more than 2 days and nights.

This is the only Mongolian railway connecting China to

Russia and the trans-Siberian railway.

Trans Mongolian railway, Mongolia

TRANS-MONGOLIAN TRAIN

NATU

RE

NATU

RE

Crossing to Mongolia, the landscape starts to change its shape after the second night in train. We are

leaving behind the desert and enter the Mongolian grasslands.

Not far from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

THE DESERT BECOMES GREEN

NATU

RE

NATU

RE

NATU

RE

If on the Chinese side of the Gobi Desert there is a strong feeling of infrastructure, inhabited territory, big cities. But on the Mongolian side we instantly feel the emptiness of the untouched lands. No highways, no con-crete, just some rarely speeded yurts (“ger” in Mongolian) along with their horses, goats, cows or other animals.

REAL NOMADS’ LAND

Not far from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

NATU

RE

NATU

RE

PEO

PLE

The town is bustling every-where with all kinds of means of transportation. From the tricycle taxis to the normal ones, almost everybody uses

some vehicle to cross this flat urbanized area.

Erenhot-border city, Inner Mongolia, China

HOT (3) WHEELS!

PEO

PLE

PEO

PLE

This city is a big supermarket for the Mongol people. They come by car or train to buy any kind of products for themselves or to sell back in Mongolia. One can

find everything here from materi-als to electronics.

Erenhot-border city, Inner Mongolia, China

BUYING EVERYTHING FROM CHINA

PEO

PLE

PEO

PLE

Although a commercial city based on industrial products, semi-industri-al crafted objects can be found in the market. A special object is the

samovar used to boil water.

Market in Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China

CRAFTSMEN STILL EXIST

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

In the middle of Gobi Desert, entire new cities are built like citadels. In the last few years the city doubled its size. Strategically placed at the border with Mongolia, the brand new blocks of

flats wait their inhabitants.

Erenhot-border city, Inner Mongolia, China

NEW CITY, EMPTY HOUSES

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

As before there was no public lighting system, the Chinese authorities implement modern

technology to power the street lighting – photovoltaic panels and LED lights. The challenge

to colonize the desert seems to be well managed by this con-stantly growing world power.

Erenhot-border city, Inner Mongolia, China

SOLAR PUBLIC LIGHTING

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

One can find almost every kind of architec-tural “style” or mixture of styles in this

small city – from European or American style buildings to modern architecture.

Like Las Vegas in the American Wild West, the Chinese create new age colony city in

the Gobi Desert.

Erenhot-border city, Inner Mongolia, China

LEARNING FROM LAS VEGAS

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

The real attraction of this border point is its commercial strategy. Permanently Mongolian people cross

the border, as they don’t need a visa to cross in China (but the Chinese do

need a Mongolian one).

Erenhot-border city, Inner Mongolia, China

COMMERCIAL HEAVEN

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

The Mongolians started to settle in cities or in houses or flats, during the Soviet Union influ-ence. Therefore, the house model they adopted is not Chinese, not Asian anymore. The Russian type of house got roots in the Mongolian urban sprawl. Despite the yurts (ger) kept along, the landscape changes an d loses its connection with

their Asian neighbors.

On the train before Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

EUROPE BEGINS IN MONGOLIA

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

Thank you !

Merci !

Mulţumesc!

Гялайлаа !감사합니다 !

谢谢 !

ขอบพระคุณครบั !

Спасибо !

Thanks to my translators:

Huang Xing - Chinese Anton Ivanov - RussianPatrick Bayarsaikhan - MongolianLassamon Maitreemit - ThaiYun Young Mi - KoreanKim Dong Hee - Korean

© 2011 Razvan-George Gorcea

PROMOTED BY :

Thanks to Alexandru Senciuc

Razvan-George GorceaBorn in 1986 in the city of Suceava, Romania, he grows up in the beautiful region of Bucovina, surrounded by mountains and monasteries. The success in mathematics competitions allows him to travel in different parts of Romania along with his studies. He begins the architecture studies at « Ion Mincu » University in Bucharest. At this point, space and urban explorations become decisive for his education. He begins extensive travels in all Europe, before and during his studies in Paris since 2007. A larger interest evolves into the un-derstanding of human settlement development and its cultural mechanisms.His one year journey in Eastern Asia changes completely his perspective, creating of wider sense of global consciousness. Now he tries to put together the knowledge he acquired and re-new the out-dated models with an intercultural approach.

Razvan - George GORCEA

More than a photo journalMore than a traveller’s tripImmersion into the culture

Discovering FOOD.Celebrating NATURE

Connecting with PEOPLEUnderstanding ARCHITECTURE

Permanent change of perspectiveThe “West” becomes the “East”

The viewer becomes actorThe photos get meaning and notes

Each one has a story to share

Mai mult decât un jurnal fotoMai mult decât o călătorie turisticăIntegrare totală în culturăDescoperind MANCAREAAdmirând NATURACunoscând OAMENIIInţelegând ARHITECTURASchimbare permanentă a reperelor“Vestul” devine “est”Observatorul devine actorFotografiile capătă sensFiecare împărtăşeşte o poveste

Plus qu’un journal photoPlus qu’un voyage touristique

Immersion dans la cultureEn découvrant la CUISINE

Célébrant la NATUREEntrer en contact avec les GENS

Comprenant l’ARCHITECTUREChangement de perspective

“L’Ouest” devient “l’est”L’observateur devient acteurLes photos prennent du sens

Chacune partage une histoire