Note sulla geografia umana del bacino dell’Ordos, Mongolia Interna, Cina

Abstract

The article presents the results of a recent empirical survey conducted in the Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The research is dedicated to the observation of the human geography of this territory. With the help of semiotic analysis, a wide repertoire of landscapes, signs and symbols is explored, observed during a road trip of about 1,300 kilometers, through the localities of Hohhot, Ordos, Wu Hai and Baotou. The study highlights fundamental aspects of the interactions that shape the ecological and social identity of a frontier territory that is rapidly changing as a result of China's growing economic development. The environments crossed are very different from each other: urban centers; industrial settlements; rural areas; mining districts; places of worship; archaeological sites; touristic sites; desert regions. The investigation takes place along a double register: on the one hand, a travel notebook in which observations collected in the field and grouped by topics are listed (the high-speed train station; the statue of Altan Khan; urban environments; food; mining sites and industrial plants; extra-urban landscapes; the desert; political slogans; religious sites). On the other hand, with the help of subsequent historical-cultural research, a reflection on the signs and works that countless social actors impress on the territory. The outcome of the survey is a human geographic picture dense of cultural meanings.