The Last NomadsPhotographs by A Yin

The Wuzhu Muqin’s harmonious relationship with nature has allowed the ecologically fragile grasslands to survive for thousands of years, while the grasslands in turn have helped to preserve the distinctive traditions of nomadic life by sustaining herds. However, since the mid-20 century, much of the grasslands have been reduced to desert by overcultivation of fragile soils, overgrazing, poor governmental management, and meager irrigation. As the fertile natural environment disappears, so does the culture it supports. Hence, these nomads’ traditional way might not survive another generation.

Born in 1970 into a poor herdsman’s family in the steppes (semi-arid grasslands) of Mongolia, A Yin is a self-taught freelance photographer. In 1998 he began documenting the vanishing nomadic tribes in the Wuzhu Muqin under the working title Mongolian, setting up a self-funded commercial studio for his work. Yin continues to follow the traditional lifestyle of a Mongolian herdsman while also pursuing his photographic mission to document the disappearing steppes and the lifestyle they support.