Winter Pasture: One Woman's Journey with China's Kazakh Herders

by Li Juan

The Kazakhs were traditionally herders, and it’s no surprise that in the Altai Mountains—where China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia meet—they did not see any need to confine themselves to national boundaries. This book was only translated from Chinese last year, and follows Li Juan, who owns a convenience store with her mother in northwestern China, as she spends the winter with a family of Kazakh herders. It’s a really nice depiction of a lifestyle that mixes old traditions and coping mechanisms in icy temperatures with new gadgets.