Eight centuries ago, Mongolia ascended to the world’s consciousness after Genghis Khan and his equestrian army conquered lands from China to Europe. Today Nomin Chinbat is similarly determined to raise Mongolia’s global profile, although with a decidedly softer touch.

Nomin — Mongolia’s Minister of Culture — is part of a soft power push that is ushering Mongolians of every artistic discipline to stages worldwide. From horsehead fiddles at the Sydney Opera House to hard rock at Glastonbury, Mongolian culture has been spotted in high-profile venues.

Mongolian performers were in Paris last summer too, attracting large crowds in La Villette Park, as part of a “mini world’s fair” held during the Olympics. Mongolian culture was also recently on display at the Venice Biennale and in a pop-up shop in Davos during the World Economic Forum.

Culture minister Nomin Chinbat, determined to raise Mongolia's profile (Culture ministry, Mongolia, cc-by-sa 4.0).

The cultural exports peaked last year with an epic theatrical production, “The Mongol Khan,” performed in London’s Coliseum. Nomin says upcoming performances are planned for Los Angeles and Broadway.

For Mongolian artists performing on stages far from home, these opportunities allow them to market their talents to a wider audience and broaden their careers.

One of the most globally recognised is The HU, a heavy metal rock band that infuses traditional instruments into its playlist. After several world tours and collaboration with the likes of Metallica and others, The HU will headline performances in Europe this summer. Amartuvshin Enkhbat, considered one of the world’s great opera singers, is another globally recognised performer.

Asashoryu Akinori is one of the greats when it comes to Mongolian wrestlers who have dominated Japanese sumo (Credit, Yves Picq veton.picq.fr, cc-by-sa 1.0).

And, when it comes to sport, Mongolians have been the dominant force in Japanese sumo for years.

“We are bringing our culture to the world. People-to-people relationships are meaningful. The door to [these relationships] is getting to know each other's culture,” Nomin said on a call with bne IntelliNews.

Mongolia expert at the University of Mannheim, Julian Dierkes, says this display of soft power reflects a longstanding foreign policy that looks beyond Russia and China, which landlock Mongolia to the north and south. When it comes to projecting a global presence, Mongolian leaders lean toward “third neighbours,” which include the United States, Japan, Australia, the UK and other Western democracies.

“These strategies are built around visibility on the global stage,” said Dierkes.

Mongolia House, set up as part of a "mini world's fair" in a Paris park during France's 2024 Olympics, provided a platform for a great range of Mongolian performers (Credit: Mongolian state handout).

Besides building up exposure for its performers, there is another reason Mongolia wants to build name recognition — tourism. The hope is that this exposure will encourage more people to book a holiday in Mongolia, increasing tourism revenue and related jobs.

According to Nomin, tourism now generates $1.6bn in annual revenue for Mongolia and makes up 7% of GDP. Most of that comes in a short period of time — tourism explodes for a few months in summer before going into hibernation during the long winter. Officials say the goal is to boost tourism to 10% of GDP.

The number of flights is increasing, a sign that tourism numbers are climbing. Koreans in particular have discovered Mongolia. In summer, there are five or six direct flights a day that arrive in Ulaanbaatar from Seoul, up from just one or two before the pandemic. Visitor numbers from the US may increase this year, thanks to a new flight on United from Narita (Tokyo) to Ulaanbaatar, running three times a week.

Total visitor numbers are 40% higher compared to pre-pandemic. It may, however, be premature to say that cultural tourism has made all the difference. Tourism has grown globally since the pandemic and travellers everywhere are looking for new destinations. So Mongolia may be capitalising on general trends and social media marketing.

Baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat is considered one of the world's great opera performers (Mongolian state handout).

But Mongolian officials are taking the long view, believing the recent surge isn’t a fad and can lead to further growth. That is one reason for investing in local cultural groups to develop the next generation of talented artists.

Promoting Mongolian culture isn’t necessarily novel. Previous governments have taken steps to boost local traditions since the 1990s fall of communism. Nevertheless, while the current effort cannot be described as new, it is on a faster trajectory.

The recent push includes a nationwide “cultural revival” campaign to boost the foundation of traditional knowledge.

Students and their parents have bought into the effort, signing up for school and after-school programmes that teach young people about traditional Mongolian script, music, art and dance. Schools across the country are now filled with young people learning the horsehead fiddle, “khoomei” (throat singing) and other arts.

This year, Mongolia is planning to roll out a “cultural voucher” system, granting teens free access to cultural events, theatre and museums. Nomin has described the programme as an “investment in human development,” noting that it’s designed to support low-income families that don’t have access to cultural programmes.

Mongolian throat singers, musicians from the group Altai Khangai, in Amsterdam (Credit: Jimfbleak, cc-by-sa 3.0).

Film is also being elevated as a way to lift Mongolia’s profile, in the same way that Korean film and TV have helped that country gain a global following. As a member of Parliament, Nomin helped Mongolia develop laws to support Mongolian filmmakers while also opening Mongolia’s doors to foreign producers looking for fresh shooting locations.

“The knowledge of history and heritage is the key part for making sure that Mongolian youth continue to keep our culture, heritage, and also values,” Nomin said.