Violent demonstrations protesting Chinese rule occurred in 1987 and 1993. In 1993 talks between the Chinese and representatives of the Dalai Lama stalled over conflicts such as the Dalai Lama's refusal to move to Beijing and China's refusal to grant greater Tibetan autonomy. In 1996 the Chinese government rejected the Dalai Lama's choice of the next Panchen Lama, a lesser Buddhist authority. Fresh rumblings in the independence movement in Tibet erupted, and in May 1996 the Chinese began a crackdown on Tibetan monasteries that resulted in the injury and death of several monks. The capital and largest city is Ulaanbaatar.
Temperatures are very cold in winter and warm to hot in summer.
Mongolia's primary resources are its stock-raising prairies, its fur trade, and its mostly unexploited minerals. Other groups are Buryat Mongols and Kazaks. Many people speak Mongolian, an Altaic language, although Russian was formerly taught in the schools. The traditional faith, Lamaist Buddhism, has been suppressed since 1929. Primary education is compulsory.