The smoke rises from the white yurt, I was born in a shepherd's house... When we hear this familiar song, we will all think of the classic picture of the grassland: the green grassland under the blue sky and white clouds, scattered with groups of cattle and sheep; the iron chimney protruding from the white yurt is filled with smoke, smearing a light gray on the grassland, blending into the background of distant mountains and white clouds.
Stoves are a guarantee of survival in alpine areas. There is no day without fire. For thousands of years, on the vast grassland, no matter in spring, summer, autumn or winter, every nomadic yurt has an iron stove, which converts the energy of cow and sheep dung into light and heat. This is the energy flow of grassland ecosystem . The fire is passed on forever, continuing the reproduction of the tribe and the prosperity of the five animals. Many northern nomadic tribes regard fire as a symbol of prosperity, just as "MENGK GAL" is interpreted as eternal fire.
"The Fragrance of Milk" (photographed by Yongqing)
The past life of the Mongolian furnace
"Hanshu·Five Elements" says: "The stove is the foundation of fertility."
In our country, after the stove was produced in the Neolithic Age, the stoves of the settled farming people experienced the development process of fire pits, high platform stoves, and multi-burner stoves. In 1865, the country's first coal gas plant was built in Shanghai, and the development of stoves in Chinese cities entered a new era. Due to different production methods, the "bonfire era" of the nomadic people on the northern grasslands lasted until the Republic of China and entered the "chimney era". In fact, it only has a history of a hundred years.
The "triangle" in the yurt in the Qing Dynasty (picture quoted from the Internet)
The stove in the yurt is an iron stove that can be disassembled and moved. Because it needs to be moved together with the yurt. The first batch of iron stoves in the Hulunbuir region were designed and made by Han craftsmen to meet the needs of nomadic pastoral areas, and were mainly used by Mongolian herdsmen. The name "Mongolian stove" was used until the 1990s.
In the 1990s, Sumu herders of the Ewenki ethnic group herders ate at the Morgrad summer camp. The iron stove behind was a stove with an oven. The stove was a Mongolian stove, a product of the Hailar Metal Container Factory in the 1980s.
Mongolian stove is the result of the exchange and blending of ethnic groups. From the historical background, the emergence of Mongolian stoves benefited from the import of "foreign iron" and the settlement of Han craftsmen during the Republic of China, which was an epoch-making progress in the productivity of animal husbandry.
In the 1920s of the last century, once the yurt iron stove came out, the "Tulaga" that had been used for thousands of years on the Hulunbuir Prairie began to gradually withdraw from the stage of history. During the Qing Dynasty, there was no iron stove trade in Hulunbuir. After the opening of the Middle East Railway, the Russians brought in a batch of cast iron stoves for train heating, field logging and construction. Affected by this, herders along the railway also used cast iron stoves in small quantities. However, these bulky cast iron stoves are mainly used to burn wood and coal. The reason why they are not popular is that they are not suitable for the nomadic life where fuel is produced and sold by oneself.
"Tulaga" in a yurt in the Qing Dynasty (picture quoted from the Buryat public account)
According to the records of "Hulunbuir Second Light Industry Chronicle" and "Hailaer Second Light Industry Chronicle": 1923 Shang Qiyun of Raoyang County, Hebei Province first opened the Qingfa Changbai Iron Shop in Erdao Street, Hailar. In 1925, more than half of the more than 100 handicraft workshops in Hailar dealt with ethnic products. The main ethnic products sold include: horse and carriage harnesses, saddles, Mongolian boots, yurt felts, Lele carts, ethnic chests, milk buckets, iron Mongolian stoves, Tongchuan pots, and sacrificial vessels. In November 1926, Du Fulin of Ye County, Shandong Province established Dexing Yong Iron Shop. Its main products included sheet metal stoves, chimneys, buckets, kettles, etc. Most shops adopt the " front store and back factory " model to sell products to herdsmen or "walk on the grass" for mobile sales. Mongolian stoves are a hot commodity at the Ganzhur Temple Fair and the Morgrad Summer Camp.
At that time, tinplate was imported from abroad, and the tinplate processing industry was called yangtiepu. There were also more yangtiepu in Manzhouli, Zha District and other places.Before the emergence of Mongolian stoves, the "triangle" used for heating and cooking in yurts in pastoral areas was surrounded by smoke. After the emergence of the tinplate industry, the iron stoves produced were equipped with smoke guide chimneys, which were fireproof, hygienic, and easy to transport.
In the late Manchukuo period, due to the shortage of thin iron raw materials, the tin iron industry was in depression. In 1943, the number of tin iron shops in Hulunbuir was reduced to 12 households.
The party’s concern for the production of special needs of ethnic minorities
After the founding of New China, under the brilliance of the party’s ethnic policies, the production of special needs of ethnic minorities has developed significantly. In 1950, the number of Hailar Iron Shops grew to 34 households with 47 employees. Mongolian stoves were continued to be produced by the handicraft cooperatives, and in 1962 they were included in the Hulunbuir League's handicraft production plan for 25 products. In 1976, it was included in the Hulunbuir Second Light System production plan for 116 national products. By the peak of the production of ethnic products in 1989, 173 types of ethnic products were included in the production plan.
"Hailaer Second Light Industry Chronicle" records the state's investment in Hailar City's special needs production enterprises for ethnic minorities after Hailar City became a national production base for ethnic minority special needs products (9 in the country).
The Mongolian stove produced by the Hailar City Metal Container Factory is relatively typical. It is a key enterprise in the alliance that produces special products for ethnic minorities and has the largest output. It is a cylindrical stove made of 1.2mm thick iron plate. There are no grates in the stove and it uses cow and sheep dung as fuel. Mongolian stoves are mainly sold to the Four Banners of Animal Husbandry and used by nomads.
This Mongolian stove was produced by the Hailar City Metal Container Factory in the 1970s. It has been used and kept in the homes of Sumu herders of the Ewenki ethnic group to this day. The height is 50cm, the diameter of the furnace barrel is 41cm, and the thickness of the iron sheet is 1.2mm.
The Mongolian stove is very simple to make. It only has a barrel body and no grate or ring. After putting in the cow dung and sheep dung, just close the lid or put the pot on to light the fire.
Function of Mongolian furnace
The early Mongolian furnace shape and technology lasted for roughly 60 years. The furnace barrel was stable in one shape, that is, a thin iron riveted barrel-shaped furnace. There has been no qualitative change in the nomadic production methods. In terms of craftsmanship, the Mongolian stoves of this period mainly used black iron riveting technology, without grate bars, and were all cut and made by hand. The main fuel is sheep dung eggs. After the 1970s, a crimp neck was added between the chimney and the chimney. It was used in conjunction with the Mongolian stove. The product is called the stove waist, and it uses a concave cubic smoke guide made of 1.2mm thick iron sheet. The apron stands on the ground, one end is connected to the stove, and the other end is installed with a chimney, so that the fire turns around the apron and then emerges from the chimney, which is both fire-proof and heat-dissipating. This short turn can not only heat milk tea, but also toast bread and dry tobacco leaves, which broadens the practical functions. In summer, if you are afraid of the indoor temperature rising, you will remove it.
The stove crooks the neck. It is connected by hand-rolling process, 50cm long and 35cm high. It is not used in summer. In winter, it is placed on the ground and connected to the stove and directly connected to the chimney. The crooked neck increases the heat dissipation area in winter, making it easier to heat food on it.
Every morning, the piles of sheep dung and eggs are swept away from the sheep pen and prepared for burning. Both frozen sheep dung and minced sheep dung can be burned directly. The ash at the bottom of the furnace is in contact with the grass ground. The ash is taken out directly from around the bottom of the furnace. The fire is kept every day in winter, and a thick layer of ash spreads over the furnace for a week. When it rekindles, use tongs to pick up ashes and add manure to burn it quickly.
In the 1970s, Chenbarhu Banner herdsmen drank milk tea at the summer camp (photographed by Amurisana)
There are three supporting products for the Mongolian stove. One is a Mongolian four-seal pot trial-produced by Hailar City Metal Container in 1974 (the measurement unit of the old supply and marketing cooperative, one seal is equivalent to the width of the palm, and four seals are equivalent to a pot with a diameter of 46cm); one is a fire scissors, used to collect dung and carry fire; the other is a fire shovel, used to remove ash, because there is no stove ring or grate, and no stove hook is used. The above three items are all produced by the factory.
The wind is strong on the grassland, so for the sake of safety, the chimney must be lined with homemade fireproof sheets. This is to cut a circular patch from the iron sheet of a broken teapot or milk bucket, then poke densely packed small holes and plug it into the joint flue. Before the 1980s, hematoxylin and gacha were an important task during the fire prevention period, and people were sent to the house to check whether the stove had such plugged fireproof sheets.
html In the early 1900s, Sumu herdsmen of the Ewenki ethnic group were stationed in the summer camp. Almost all of them use Mongolian stoves with an oven and an iron pot lid standing next to the stove. This is the factory configuration of Mongolian stoves.
Mobile stoves were an epoch-making progress for the nomadic economy at that time. After the birth of the Mongolian stove, it solved the heating problem of mobile yurts that had long troubled pastoral areas. It increased the volume of the stove, made the combustion more complete, further improved the heat efficiency ratio, shortened the cooking time of food, and could preserve flames in the severe cold of winter. It extended the heat storage and the sanitary environment was also significantly improved. Thin iron is not only easy to transport, but also heats up quickly. In spring and autumn, the fire protection function of this kind of stove is improved due to the long flue, and the fire hazard is significantly reduced.
Innovation comes from inheritance. In fact, the early stoves did not get rid of the prototype of the "Tulaga". The four stable legs and the four upward reinforcing iron bars were the ribs of the "Tulaga" changed into a closed iron barrel. The top and bottom of the barrel are not sealed, which maintains compatibility with various fuels in nomadic environments.
Use old customs
According to Mr. Xizhifu from in New Barhu Right Banner said: According to his parents, when the iron barrel stove first entered the yurt during the Republic of China, it did not become popular immediately, and it was used together with "Tulaga" for many years. Because the stove fire is simmering in the hearth, the old people generally resist it because they are not used to seeing the open flame and think that the fire and heat are sucked away from the chimney. Some simply throw the iron stove outside the yurt. It took about half a century to completely change the custom of using open-fire stoves, until we "destroyed the four old and established the four new".
In fact, "Tulaga" cannot be thrown away. There is also a solidified old custom. The northern nomadic hunting people respect fire. "Tulaga" is regarded as the residence of the " Fire God " and worshiped. It is difficult to communicate with the "god in its place" when replacing the skinned stove; such as the Mongolian Barhu people, The Buryat people have a custom of worshiping the "Fire God". When the bride marries her husband's family, she must worship the "Fire God" of her husband's family. The bride lights the "Tulaga" fire to show that the family is prosperous. The custom of "determining the activity range of the young and old by the position of the fire", etc. The host is behind the fire position, and the distinguished guests and the host sit side by side on the northwest side of the fire position. Women cannot sit on the north side of the fire position, but sit in the southeast position, etc. For example, among the Shilu Ewenki people who live in the Ergun River basin, men can live behind the Chuluozi fire position, and women can live south of the fire position, but not north of the fire position. If they have parents, their parents will live on the north side of the fire position. Housewives and girls under 15 years old can go near the shrine, but they have to walk back and forth around the fire position to go to the Choluozi "Malu" shrine.
This painting depicts the scene of Mongolian Buryat herdsmen welcoming brides in a yurt in the 1970s. There are fire tongs and fire shovels beside the Mongolian stove. In the past, when marrying a new daughter-in-law, she had to kowtow to her husband's god, the god of fire, and her parents-in-law. The women on both sides were the two bridesmaids. A daughter-in-law cannot say her father-in-law's name. If she calls someone with the same name as her father-in-law, she can only say: Whose...whose name. (Page 140 of the book "Works of Folk Artist Angiledawa" compiled and edited by Nao·Erdeni and Qinggele.)
The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month is the "Kitchen God Festival", a traditional festival of the Chinese nation. "Kitchen God" and "Fire God" have different names, but they are actually the same. All originate from ancient fire worship. In ancient times, there were "Official Three, Min Fourth, and Boat Five" to worship the Kitchen God, that is, the official family worshiped the "Stove God" on the 23rd, and the folk worshiped the "Stove God" on the 24th. On the Hulunbuir Grassland, the "Fire God" was also worshiped on the 23rd. However, in the old society, the herdsmen worshiped the "Fire God" on the 23rd, and the official family worshiped the "Fire God" on the 24th.
To this day, from "Tulaga" to Mongolian stoves, the custom of offering sacrifices to the "God of Fire" in yurts has been continued. In the same grassland area, the sacrifices and customs are different, but on the grassland, the customs of family gatherings, eating dumplings, and cleaning on the "Little New Year" day have become deeply rooted in the hearts of all ethnic groups and have become common customs of all ethnic groups.
"Tulaga" has been used for so many years. There is a reason for its existence. In addition to the strong sense of "ritual" in festivals, the fuel can be used in all sizes. The three-legged one is easy to burn wood, and the four-legged one with guardrails is easy to burn cattle and sheep dung. The indoor temperature rises immediately, but the shortcomings are also prominent. Especially in the rainy season and windless weather, the smoke is not discharged smoothly from the "taonao" (chimney). After less than a week of use, the yurts "Hana" and "Wuni" are all covered in black pulp. When moving, you need to dust off the yurts, wipe the wood, and clean the whole family, old and young, and even your skin will slowly turn to a bronze color.
"New Home with Babies", this picture reflects the furnishings in the nomadic yurts of Mongolian Buryat herders in the 1970s. Although a stove with an oven is used, Turaga is still used in small quantities. Turaga is mainly used as a pot holder or when making a fire outdoors for cooking in summer. (Page 150 of the book "Works of Folk Artist Angiledawa" edited by Nao Erdeni and Qingle.)
The use of fuel in Mongolian stoves is inseparable from the nomadic environment. In summer, cow dung is mainly burned, ( Because there is fear that the sheep will heat up after the sheep dung is layered, the sheep pen needs to be moved every few days, and not much fuel can be produced.) In autumn, the sheep dung skins are removed from the pen and the sheep dung is cleaned every morning (this season needs to keep the sheep warm, and the frequency of moving the pen is reduced). In winter and spring, the sheep dung bricks are made, and the sheep dung eggs are cleaned every day to burn the fire. The Mongolian stove is used to burn frozen sheep dung, and steam is rising on the furnace wall, making it very hot. But there is indeed less smoke.
Some stoves may have quality problems or may cause air leakage due to large gaps between the iron parts during use. This is why there is a saying in pastoral areas - "stoves that only smoke, but do not catch fire" to describe grassroots cadres who are industrious and lazy and do not solve practical problems.
Herdsmen in Chenbarhu Banner use coal-burning iron stoves in the camp. Mongolian stoves began to become square in the late 1980s because coal burning in winter required square finished stoves and grates for residential use. The square shape is also convenient for cutting iron plates for production. In the early days, there were double furnace doors. Later, the lower furnace door for removing ash became a drawer, which reduced indoor soot. Stoves with drawers began to appear around 2000.
The Mongolian stove that keeps pace with the times
In 1984, according to the Buryat Mongolian, In line with the Russian dining customs of the Tunguska Ewenki people, the Hailar City Metal Container Factory specially designed an oven. The oven is connected to the Mongolian stove. The oven is rectangular and has a baking box inside. It can bake cakes, bread, and cook meat and milk tea on the stove. It is easy to use and saves fuel. Once the oven was produced, it became very popular, and herdsmen in surrounding animal husbandry banners also liked to use this stove. Having an oven is equivalent to adding a auxiliary stove, which can be used to heat dishes, steamed buns, etc. in the oven, which broadens the kinetic energy of the single-burner stove and makes life easier for herdsmen.
This picture shows the Mongolian Buryat people using Mongolian furnaces to cook koumiss. (Page 104 of the book "The Works of Folk Artist Angil Dava" compiled and edited by Nao Erdeni and Qinggele.)
This page is "Daily necessities". The books are all paintings drawn by the old man Dawa (surnamed Harigana) himself, the son of Sumu Angil Dava on the west side of the Sini River. They are all tableware used by the Mongolian Buryats. (Page 182 of the book "Works of Folk Artist Angiledava" compiled and edited by Nao Erdeni and Qinggele.)
In the past, the Buryat Tribe of the Mongolian people, the Tungus Tribe of the Evenki people and Russians and other semi-settled and semi-nomadic ethnic groups such as have brick ovens in their underground cellars and wood carvings. Nomads also have separate iron ovens. The ovens started in 1984 are products produced according to corporate standards.
An oven left in the home of a Mongolian Buryat herdsman in the Evenki Autonomous Banner. Produced by the original Hailar Metal Container Factory, the length is 59cm, the width is 24cm, and the height is 50cm. (Photo provided by Budzabu, a herdsman from Sumu Haolibao Gacha, west of the Sini River in the Ewenki Autonomous Banner)
A Russian-style Leba stove built by Sumu herdsmen of the Ewenki ethnic group in a settlement
Before the 1980s, Hailar Metal Container Factory had an annual production capacity of 1,500 Mongolian stoves and an annual sales volume of about 300 units. They were mainly sold to the Four Banners of Animal Husbandry. The oven-type Mongolian stoves were sold to Ewenki Autonomous Banner and Chenbalhu Banner Ewenki Ethnic Sappan. The Hailar District Metal Container Factory has established a long-term service point in the Temuhuzhu brigade of the West Commune of the Ewenki Autonomous Banner (today's Sumutemohuzhu Gacha, West Sumut, Sini River) to provide stove maintenance services to herdsmen. The Hailar Ethnic Products Factory, founded in 1953, also produced multi-purpose stoves for Mongolian yurts (stove body, stove waist, oven, radiator) in 1982 with funds allocated by the autonomous region. The New Barhu Banner You Banner Ethnic Products Comprehensive Factory, established in 1956, has produced Mongolian stoves, but the output is small.
Under the principle of “development, maintenance, elimination, and substitution” in the production of special products for ethnic minorities, ethnic products also change with the development of the times.
Diesel barrel stoves have been in use since the 1960s. The stove made of diesel barrels welded to the furnace ring is a type of furnace during the transition period between burning cattle and sheep dung and burning coal. It is welded with diesel barrels. The advantages are simple production, light weight, high overall strength, and convenient for nomadic herding. However, the thickness of the iron sheet is insufficient, so it is widely used when packing in pastoral areas. (Picture quoted from the Buryat public account)
The Mongolian stove is a product that adapts to the times. Its shortcomings were later highlighted: the soot hygiene problem was not completely solved, there was no stove ring, and the function was single. It emphasized the heating function and weakened the cooking function. In view of the lightweight design of grassland nomads, the use of high-calorie fuels such as sheep dung bricks and wood will accelerate the loss and will be scrapped in two or three years, let alone burning coal.
In the early 1980s, herders gradually began to settle down in the Hulunbuir pastoral area after the household responsibility system was implemented. The livestock production method changed from relying on the sky to building a stock, scientific stock raising, and the coal industry began to rise. In the context of the rise of the coal industry, the Mongolian stove was updated again. In 1980, after the Hailar District Metal Container Factory was renovated, the iron sheet was thickened, a furnace ring, a grate, a double furnace door, and an independent ash bin were installed. These were clearly influenced by the brick ovens of the residents. Not only does the heating area increase, but it can also burn coal, cattle and sheep dung, wood, and firewood, and eliminates the disadvantage of flying smoke and dust. State-owned farms and ranches have also used Mongolian stoves made from old diesel barrels. In the past, nomads had to move their bags once a week or so. Now, when I go to a summer camp once a year, I may only move my bags twice. The weight of the stove is negligible when transported by agricultural vehicles.
Modern Mongolian stove. (Picture quoted from the Buryat public account)
Although all herders on the Hulunbuir grassland have now settled down, animal husbandry is a traditional industry, and livestock still need to move seasonally to catch fat to solve the problem of grass-livestock balance. Therefore, as long as there is a transition in grassland animal husbandry, the Mongolian stove will continue to play a role along with the yurt.
In 2008, herders of Chenbalhu Banner were in the yurt.
Source: Chen Balhu Banner Museum public account
Editor: Wang Ying
Supervision and review: Liu Henan
Please indicate the source for reprinting: Hulunbuir City Culture, Tourism, Radio, Film and Television Bureau WeChat public account
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