The Nomadic People Caught in the Crosshairs of China's Economic Boom

As Chinese investment turns this mineral-rich region into a cash cow, does the Southern Mongolian culture have any hope of survival? A few families are willing to fight for it.

The Mongolian people have nourished a distinct way of life for millennia, both in the independent country of Mongolia, and in neighboring Southern Mongolia, a region claimed by China. Without true autonomy, Southern Mongolia has recently been exploited for its rich mineral and coal deposits. As huge Chinese-populated cities spring to life here, can the voiceless herders endure the transformation of their land from vast and beautiful grassland to modern, industrialized territory? "Last Days on the Grassland" looks at a few families fighting to preserve their culture, language and way of life.

Produced by Michael Swaigen