Mongolia's Golden Ages

A Brisk Gallop through Changing Representations

Abstract

"Golden Age" is trope commonly applied to periods of outstandino prosperity. Concerning Mongolia, it is likely to conjure up images of Genghis Khan the Mongol Empire, and the Pax Mongolica. Surprisingly, though, there exists (at least so far) no globally recognized Mongolian equivalent to such widely established concepts as the Danish, the Polish, the British, or the Dutch Golden Age. At the same time, however, it has recently become popular for political observers and journalists alike to predict the coming of Golden Age, since Mongolia economy, due to its abundance of natural resources, currently features one of the highest growth rates in the world. The motif Golden Age had found its way into Mongolia as early as in the 5th 6th century through eschatological literary texts of Chinese and Indo-Tibetan origin. Their partly apocalyptic images, and the inherent ideas of unceasing decline that accompany them, would in the 20th century largely vanish under socialist rule. Yet, even then evoking Golden Age proved to be convenient for legitimizing political authority. In postsocialist Mongolia today, the designation Golden Age (altan uye) is explicitly applied to an epoch that from typical Westerner perspective would hardly qualify for the awarding of such grandiose label. This essay offers a brisk gallop through changing representations of the trope Golden Age in different Mongolia-related contexts. By experimentally identifying narratives and language-games against the backdrop of shifting perspectives in historical and prophetic thinking, intend to explore what possible kinds of motivation keep inspiring its use.