Winter Pasture

One Woman's Journey with China's Kazakh Herders

By: Li Juan

Narrated by: Nancy Wu

Li Juan and her mother own a small convenience store in the Altai Mountains in Northwestern China, where she writes about her life among grasslands and snowy peaks. To her neighbors' surprise, Li decides to join a family of Kazakh herders as they take their 30 boisterous camels, 500 sheep, and over 100 cattle and horses to pasture for the winter.

The so-called "winter pasture" occurs in a remote region that stretches from the Ulungur River to the Heavenly Mountains. As she journeys across the vast, seemingly endless sand dunes, she helps herd sheep, rides horses, chases after camels, builds an underground home using manure, gathers snow for water, and more.

With a keen eye for the understated elegance of the natural world, and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor, Li vividly captures both the extraordinary hardships and the ordinary preoccupations of the day-to-day of the men and women struggling to get by in this desolate landscape. Her companions include Cuma, the often drunk but mostly responsible father; his teenage daughter, Kama, who feels the burden of the world on her shoulders and dreams of going to college; his reticent wife, a paragon of decorum against all odds, who is simply known as "sister-in-law".

©2021 Li Juan (P)2021 Tantor

I am incredibly happy with this.

As someone who is alittle bit obsessed with Nomadic empires and warriors of the steppe and their lifestyles. I am incredibly happy i found this this book, though its not about mongol military strategies or the huns effect on the Roman empire. it gives so much information on the way of life of nomadic pastoralists. I really really really enjoy the details of animals husbandry, the routines, hardships and emotions. I appreciate her so much for this.

delightful, funny, & heart-warming

i absolutely love 'winter pasture' and li juan!!! i'm so grateful for everyone on xhs who recommended this book. the essay format makes it endlessly re-readable too - can't wait to read "my altai".

Interesting insight to nomadic life in China

The narrator was boring and references to "sister in law" were driving me wild, in a bad way. While interesting in parts to get a close up look into the life of hearders, the story was boring. Hence, this book is free.