Inner Mongolia Attractions

Hohhot
Meaning ‘green city’ in Mongolian, is the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and one of the most colorful cities in China, with unique local architecture including the Five-Pagoda Temple. The center of Mongolian culture, the city was founded in 1581 by the Mongol Prince Altan Khan. It became a military and religious center in the later Ming (late 16th century) and Qing dynasties. Now the political, cultural, and industrial center of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot is a center for wool and leather products, building materials, iron and steel production, and fertilizer plants. Of special interest to tourists is the Mongol summer festival called Naadam, usually held around mid-August. The festival features traditional Mongolian sports such as wrestling, horse racing, camel racing, and archery, mostly based on nomadic military skills.

The Mausoleum of Gengghis Khan
The Mausoleum of Gengghis Khan is situated in Ejin Horo Banner, 65 kilometers from Dongsheng City. It is at the foot of the hills and beside a stream. It covers an area of 55,544 sq. meters. The mausoleum is made up of three tombs shaped like Mongolian yurts and inlaid with colorful glazed tiles. The central building resembles the historical gate symbolizing a bun-shaped Mongolian yurt. The three inter-linked halls, which look like Mongolian yurts, consist of six parts: a central hall, the east hall, the east and west hall, the west corridors and the back hall.
Now the Darhut people-- the descendants of Gengghis Khan defend the mausoleum all the year round. They hold a memorial ceremony and courtesy four times a year, that is, on March 21, on May 15, on September 12 and on October 3. Thousands of people come to the mausoleum for worship or for sightseeing. Sometimes an Ordos wedding is held in the mausoleum.

The Mansoleum of Gengghiskhan - Inner Mongolia, China

The Mausoleum of Gengghis Khan

Horse Racing Ground
The Horse Racing Ground, which was built in 1957 in Hohhot, is the largest sports ground in Inner Mongolia and one of the largest horse racing ground in Asia. It has an area of 32,000 sq. meters. On the racing ground there are standardized ring-like tracks for horse race, a sports arena for polo match, a sports arena for skill performance and an arena for obstacle race of horsemanship. All the competition can be carried on at the same time. In the east of the horse racing ground is a whole structure consisting of the rostrum and visitors' stands. The structure is 270 meters long and 36 meters high in some parts. Four buildings like Mongolian yurts stand on the roof of the structure. Some cloud-like patterns are painted in white and blue on the vaulted roof of the buildings. This reflects the distinctive local national style and flavor. The visitors' stand can hold more than 700 people. The Horse Racing Ground can hold 100,000 people for watching the matches held in it. Therefore, it has become one of the important horse racing places in the world.

Horse Racing Ground

Gegentala Grassland
Gegentala means "a place for spending summer" in Mongolian. Gegentala Grassland Tourist Spot lies in Siziwang Banner, the Ulanqub League north of the Daqing Mountain. 138 kilometers from Hohhot, this spot offers people a place to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the grassland, go to the herdsman's family as guests and learn the customs and manners of the Mongolian people living on the grassland north of the Great Wall. The visitors have an opportunity to run on the horseback or go slowly on the back of camels. In addition, visitors can take the ox carts, practice archery and watch the Mongolian-style wrestling and horse racing. In the evening, they can attend the bonfire evening party, singing and dancing with the local performers.

Gegentala Grassland

Hulun Lake
The Hulun Lake, also called the Dalai Lake, ranks among the five largest freshwater lakes of China. It is the largest lake in Inner Mongolian. Situated in the place 45 kilometers east of Manchuli City, the Hulun Buir League, the Hulun Lake is 8 meters deep, covers an area of 2,339 sq. kilometers and has a storage capacity of 13.9 billion cubic meters.
As it is nice and cool in the area of the Hulun Lake and the landscape is picturesque in summer, this area is an ideal place for spending summer. Observing and appreciating birds and fish here will be a great pleasure for the tourists. Sunbathing, lake sand bathing, fishing on the edge of the lake in a tourist boat, along with other activities, often make the visitors find that it's hard for them to say "good-bye" to this beautiful place. "The golden fish dinner" is prepared for the visitors on the bank of the lake. Observing how people here catch fish under the ice in winter is another attraction.

Hulun Lake

Sahantala Village
It is a modernized grassland tourist spot equipped with such facilities as a dinning-hall, a hotel, a recreational place and shops, which are all imbued with the features of the Mongolian nationality. Around the tourist spot is the grassland covered with green lush grass and colorful flowers.
There are 36 Mongolian yurts. More than 50 yurts of various size have been set up in the woods and on grassland nearby. The activities held here include offering sacrifices to Obao, taking an ox cart, riding camels, shooting arrows, wrestling, holding a bonfire evening party and watching the performance of Mongolian songs and dances. In addition, people can have a lot of delicacies of local national flavor, such as milk tea, millet stir-fried in butter, finger mutton, roast leg mutton, and roast meat of Mongolian flavor.

Mongolian dancing performance, Sahantala Village

The Tenggeli Desert
Tenggeli means "extending into distance like the sky" in Mongolian. Extending from the southwest of Alxa Left Banner, the Alxa League to Gansu province, the Tenggeli Desert is linked to the Helan Mountains in the east, runs over the Great Wall in the south and meets the Yabulai Mountain in the west. The desert covers an area of 367,000 sq. kilometers and is 200-1400 meters above the sea level. It is characterized by the interweaving of sand dunes, lakes, hilly land flat ground, 70% of which is made up of sand dunes. The desert contains more than 400 lakes. Some species of plants grow well near the lakes.

The Tenggeli Desert

Five-Pagoda Temple
Jin-Gang-Zuo-She-Li Pagodas, which is popularly called Five-Pagoda Temple, is in Hohhot. The construction of the temple began in the 5th year of the reign of the Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty. The Pagoda is 16.5 meters high and looks like a Buddha's Warrior Attendant's seat, with a base under it and five exquisite pagodas on the base. As more than 1560 relief sculptures of Buddhas are engraved on the five pagodas, the temple enjoys the reputation of being "a 10000-Buddha Tower". In addition, there are images of Bodhisattva, the four Devarajas, Buddhist Saint, Heavenly Ladies, holy birds and animal, bodhi trees and the engraved scriptures in Mongolian, Tibetan and Sanskrit on the wall of the pagodas. On the wall facing the temple there are 3 marble relief sculptures, including a plan sphere marked with Mongolian inscriptions. The pagodas are not only peculiar buildings, but also a huge exquisite carving.

Five-Pagoda Temple

Wudang Lamasery
Lying in the recesses of the rolling Yinshan Mountains, 70 kilometers northwest of Baotou City, Wudang Lamasery is the largest well-preserved monastery of pure Tibetan-style in Inner Mongolian.
Wudang Lamasery, which took Zhashlunbu Temple as an example, was built up in the early period of the Qing Dynasty. Having been extended many times in Qianlong Age, Jiaqing Age, Daoguang Age and Guangxu Age, the lamasery has developed into the present large size. Surrounded by mountains covered with lush pines and willows, the lamasery, with a clear stream flowing in front of it, is grand and magnificent. It contains 2,538 halls and houses and covers an area of 200,000 sq. meters. More than 1,200 lamas served in the lamasery at its best time. All the buildings are featured by the Tibetan architecture: flat roof, white walls and small windows. Set against the green trees growing high on the surrounding mountains, the lamasery looks solemn, magnificent and gorgeous.

Wudang Lamasery