China Travel

If the imposing facades of big-city buildings have you feeling a little claustrophobic, there's no better remedy than a visit to Inner Mongolia's seemingly endless grasslands. From Hohhot, three such areas are within reach, Xilamuren (beginning 80 km north of Hohhot), Huitengxile (120 km west) and Gegentala (150 km north). Xilamuren Grassland Meaning "yellow river" in Mongolian, the Xilamuren grassland (Xilamuren Caoyuan in Mandarin) gets its name from a lamasery built in 1769. Used as a summer residence by the sixth living Buddha, the temple lies on the banks of the Xilamuren River. Activities in this area include horseback riding, hunting, fishing, and if you're there in late July or early August, the Naadam Festival activities. You can also stay in authentic Mongolian yurts and enjoy the gentle sawing sounds of traditional music played on... more »

The only historic building still standing in the newly developed area of the city, this former Qing Dynasty general's office has a certain allure. Resembling a temple, it's something of a mixture of  a religious site, featuring rather unusual Buddhist art done in a "modern" style, along with examples of stately Qing-era office furnishings and a scale model of the city that depicts Hohhot as it was before modernization took its toll, transforming the cityscape from one dominated by temple dragon tails and city walls to one defined as much by boxy skyscrapers, office buildings and city lights as it is by its dwindling Mongolian old town.   more »

Centrally located and just a few minutes' walk away from the Xincheng hotel, the Inner Mongolia Museum is well worth an hour or so of your time, especially if you befriend the curator, who's known to give visitors impromptu tours.  The downstairs exhibition holds a wealth of ethnic Mongolian items, with highlights including costumes, saddles, long leather coats and cummerbunds, as well as hunting and sporting implements, including some very European-looking hockey sticks and balls.  Surprisingly, there's also a rather impressive paleontology display, featuring a woolly rhino fossils and yes, of course, dinosaur. Upstairs, you'll find maps and objects detailing the exploits of local hero Genghis Khan and the colossal Mongol empire he established in the thirteenth century.   more »

A unique complex, Wusutu Zhao is the only set of temples in Mongolia to have been designed and build solely by Mongolians. Peaceful and remote, it rewards the effort to reach it (it isn't on any bus routes). Once you're there, you can enjoy the Mongolian, Tibetan and Han style buildings free of the all-too-usual gawking package-tour crowds, as Wusutu Zhao has yet to be included in most China guides and doesn't frequently make it onto tour itineraries. Wusutu Zhao is best explored at a slow pace. Unadulterated by the gaudy refurbishments that have marred other historic sites, the Ming-era murals, ornate woodcuts and exquisitely crafted Buddhas exude tranquil beauty. The grounds include four sets of temples, so it takes about half a day to do them all justice. Expect the elderly monk charged with collecting admission fees to be a little surprised to s... more »

  There's a saying amongst Mongolians that "The nomad is born in the saddle," and if you want to see how true that is, ust go to the Inner Mongolia Horse Race Course, it's the biggest of its kind in all of China. There you'll witness children as young as five, all of them expert riders, racing their mounts around a track housed in two enormous Mongolian yurts attached to each other to form an elongated stadium. Seeing its most frenzied use during Naadam (the three manly games festival) the race course is also the venue for Mongolian wrestling competitions, displays of horsemanship and even dancing. If you have any spare time during your stay in Hohhot, this would be a good place to drop by, or you can enquire about scheduled events at a hotel or travel agent. If you'd like to experience Naadam, which is an event that goes back thousands of years, you'... more »

  The holy seat and residence of the reincarnation of the Living Buddha, Xilituzhao was built during the reign of Ming Emperor Wan Li for the 3rd Dalia Lama, Sonam Gyatso. Featuring one of the most well-preserved Lama pagoda’s in Inner Mongolia, Xilituzhao, another temple restored after the tumult of the Cultural Revolution, is a structure built in the symmetrical Han style, and adorned with Tibetan-style murals and Sanskrit inscriptions. There’ll be lots of fine, detailed Tibetan woodwork to inspect, but if you have any questions, you might want to ask some of the resident Tibetan monks, they speak pretty good English and are generally happy to show you around.   more »