Ulaanbaatar - Powers of Influence

Summary of Mongolia Independence: 

Mongolia declared their independence in 1911, however, the Republic of China had other plans for the region. Chinese forces occupied part of Mongolia until Russia invaded in 1920. Russia decided to support the creation of an independent, communist government in Mongolia. With the Soviet Union's help, Mongolia once again declared their independence - ten years after the first attempt - on July 11, 1921.

Mongolia’s culture is influenced by China and Russia’s culture.

1. Mongolian Dumplings (Buuz) have a first glance of Chinese Dim Sum.

2. Mongolian clothing and Chinese clothing have the same style.

3. Architecture of China:An example of a temple built in the Chinese tradition is the lamasery Choijing Lamiin Sume (1904), which is a museum today.

The quadratic temple Tsogchin in lamasery Gandan in Ulaanbaatar is a combination of the Mongolian and Chinese tradition. 

4. Russian is the most frequently spoken foreign language in Mongolia, followed by English, although English has been gradually replacing Russian as the second language. Korean has gained popularity as tens of thousands of Mongolians work in South Korea. 

5. A popular dish is "lapsha", a simple noodle dish. The word is actually Russian for noodles.

6. Holy Ttinity Church in UB