A city of massive industrial sprawl three hours west of Hohhot, Baotou is Inner Mongolia's largest and probably least attractive city. This is due to the fact that Baotou is China's most prolific producer of iron, steel and rare earth elements, facts that paint not just the city's reputation, but its ground, rivers and skies. You'll probably notice this if you come to Baotou on a night train from Yinchuan, check out the preternaturally glowing banks of rust-colored smog dragging across the tortured sky. Below, tangled masses of pipes and smokestacks are lit by a legion of hellish fires spitting toxic sparks from the mouths of countless blast furnaces. In the dark, and on such an enormous scale, the industrial nightmare-scape is rather captivating, beautiful even.

However, the industrial impact of Baotou's primary economic activity is something the city is trying to mitigate, and with some success. Recent efforts to combat desertification and to improve air quality include afforestation efforts, as well as construction of green industrial complexes, a very large botanical garden, and the implementation of sustainable development initiatives, which have seen Baotou's per capita green land surpass the national average. For its efforts, Baotou has won a slew of international awards.

Despite this, Baotou is still a city which offers very little to the average tourist. Though the aforementioned Arding Botanical Gardens is certainly a nice place to take a stroll, pretty much the only other thing for travelers to take in is Wudangzhao, an impressive Tibetan-style monastery beyond the city limits. Other attractions are a little distant, Genghis Khan's Mausoleum, the apocryphal site of his buried remains, is a ways south, close to the city of Dongsheng. Also of note, and probably worth the effort of visiting, if only for the extraordinarily cheap rate charged for a round of parasailing, is Resonant Sand Gorge, site of a mesmerizing sea of dunes which grow up to 90 meters in height (approximately 300 feet).

History

Baotou, whose alternative Chinese name of Lucheng means “deer city,” occupies an area north of the Yellow River's great bend which has been inhabited for at least 6,000 years. As such, it has been host to a number of different peoples, including Huzu, Xiongnu, Xianpi, Roran, Huihu, and most notably, the Mongols. Historically, Boatou has mostly served as a military outpost or fort and did not truly become a city until 1809, when it was incorporated as a town.

Baotou's economic development would begin in earnest on New Year's day 1923, when the Ping-Sui railway was extended west into the town. In 1927, geologist Ding Daoheng discovered the Baiyenebo Mine and promptly declared that Baotou would become China's leading steel production base. This sparked German interest in the area and led to construction of Baotou's first airport by a Chinese-German joint venture in 1934. 

In 1937 the Second Sino-Japanese war broke out, and the fighting around Baotou would be just as fierce as in the rest of the country. After stinging defeats in the early parts of the war, the Chinese nationalists decided to launch a series of major counter-offensives around the country in an effort to disperse Japan's troops and diminish its offensive strength. After cutting off Japanese supplies to Baotou by cutting railroad links between Hohhot and Salqin, the Chinese attacked. They scored initial victories but were stung by heavy casualties after the arrival of Japanese reinforcements. The Chinese would fail to push the Japanese out of Baotou, but operations there contributed to the strategic goal of diluting Japanese power in the mainland.

In 1949, Chinese Nationalist forces would be replaced by the Communists as Baotou's governing authority. Aware of Baotou's industrial potential, the Communists immediately set the machinery of state in motion, thus ensuring Baotou's rapid development into a leading industrial base, a reputation it enjoys to this day.

Climate

The best time to visit Baotou is in the summer and in the autumn, when flowers bloom and produce ripens, bringing color and flavor to the city. Baotou's climate is defined as semi-arid, continental monsoon in nature, however, temperatures in this desert-bordering city vary even more than that verbose description implies. Annual averages are about 9ºC (48ºF), but vary between lows of -31ºC (- 24ºF ) and highs of 39ºC (102ºF).

Baotou's status as a steel production and manufacturing hub ensures that there are ample hotels to choose from in this city. Though hostels are difficult to come by, budget accommodations do exist.

The two-star Heng Wei Jia Ri Hotel Baotou has a gymnasium and a beauty salon and is located about eight kilometers from the train station, while the three star Baotou Hotel Baotou has a sauna and fitness facilities.

Those looking for a little more luxury might want to try the Baotou Shenhua International, a five-star hotel with dedicated French, Japanese and Western restaurants to sate those cravings for familiar foods, as well as billiards tables. The well-known Shangri-La brand also has a presence here. For some, the presence of a Jacuzzi alone is reason enough to stay here, but if you're looking for a few more creature comforts, the Shangri-La also beams satellite TV into every room and has a nice swimming pool.

If you've found good lodgings that aren't on the list below, help Chinatravel.net's users out by sharing your thoughts on our comments page or write your own review in My Stuff.

Foreign travelers staying in Baotou might find the dining options to be a little limited. Generally, what prevails is a mixed bowl of various Chinese cuisines. The northern preference for wheat is complemented by a slew of rice dishes and the western preference for beef and particularly, mutton, often ends up combined with the most beloved meat of Chinese in the east and south – pork. International fare is a little harder to find, despite the city's size, but your best bet is to try major four and five-star hotels.

Most of the good stuff will be found in Baotou's Donghe area, where Huoguo (hotpot) is popular. Note that most restaurants will have little to no English on their menus. There is also a night market to the north of the Donghe Hotel which is worth looking at. It's at the corner of Nanmenwai Dajie and Huancheng Lu. That'll be your chance to try some of the local snacks such as Luhanzhu, which is made from fried chicken; Songhu Fish, the peculiar shape of which apparently makes this dish super mouth-watering (it is shaped like a squirrel – yummy!); and Dexing Yuanshaomei, a kind of dumpling which is well known in Baotou for its thin skin, appealing shape and fresh farcing.

If these snacks don't light up your taste buds, you might want to try the Taizilou Rouzhou Huoguocheng (Prince Building Hotpot City), which is always good in the sense that you get to pick what goes in it, which is nearby.

West Baotou features slimmer pickings, and refugees fleeing the tyranny of street food will find themselves taking shelter in the hotels. The Tian Wai Tian Hotel serves western-style food and has a fairly decent Chinese restaurant as well. The restaurant with the best reputation locally is called the Dafulin Fanzhuang (Dafulin Restaurant) at 90 Wenhua Lu, which serves upscale Mongolian for the masses (who can afford it).

Getting around

The base rate for taxis is 6 RMB for the first three kilometers and then 1.2 RMB per additional kilometer. For minibuses, the base rate is 5 RMB for the first three kilometers and then 1 RMB per additional kilometer.

To and From Baotou

Air

Baotou Airport is about 23 km from downtown. There are flights to and from major domestic cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Direct flights to Xian, Yulin, Shijiazhuang, Wuhan and Lanzhou are also available, but some of them are not in operation daily.

Railway

There are several railway stations in Baotou, and Baotou Railway Station and Baotou East Railway Station are the two main ones. There are direct trains to Beijing, Tianjin, Xian, Shanghai, Shijiazhuang, Ningbo and Hohhot.

Bus

There is the only freeway within Inner Mongolia province between Baotou and Hohhot and it's a two-hour drive between them. National Highway 110 also goes through Baotou and leads to Hohhot and Wuyuan. Baotou Long-distance Bus Station is located at No. 189, Xinaobaoqian Jie, Chehe District.