The Chinese authorities in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are cracking down on Mongolian culture through various means like language control and digital erasure, raising concerns about autonomy, a report has highlighted. The Mongols in Inner Mongolia are facing increasing restrictions on their rights and freedom of expression, with fears that the region might suffer a fate similar to Tibet and Xinjiang due to eroding cultural diversity. China’s active suppression of Mongolian culture, language, and identity is seen as a threat to the rich heritage of the Mongolian people, risking a significant cultural crisis.
Since 2020, Chinese authorities have been enforcing the replacement of Mongolian-language teaching in schools with Mandarin Chinese, a move that has been met with resistance from ethnic Mongols. This shift has led to widespread protests as the community perceives it as an attack on their language and cultural identity. By imposing Mandarin in classrooms, Beijing is not just altering educational practices but also disrupting the intergenerational transmission of culture, the report pointed out.
Reports indicate that China’s suppression of Mongolian culture extends beyond educational institutions to the digital realm, with systematic removal of Mongolian language content from online platforms. Social media groups have been shut down, activists silenced, and digital communities dismantled, marking a concerning trend of cultural erasure in the digital age. By eradicating Mongolian voices from online spaces, authorities are ensuring that even virtual platforms cannot serve as safe havens for cultural preservation, the report emphasized.
The Chinese campaign in Inner Mongolia aims to redefine Mongolian traditions as “frontier culture,” portraying Mongolian heritage as an extension of Han culture rather than a distinct identity. This intentional reframing seeks to assimilate Mongolian uniqueness into a broader national identity, similar to strategies employed in Tibet and Xinjiang. The report warns that Inner Mongolia is following the same path, with its identity gradually being reshaped by state propaganda, aligning with the government’s narrative of cultural assimilation.
