There has been a town at
HOHHOT (known as Huhehaote to the Chinese) since the time of the Ming dynasty four hundred years ago, though it did not become the capital of Inner Mongolia until 1952. Until relatively modern times, it was a small town centred on a number of
Buddhist temples . The temples are still here, and although it's now a major city, Hohhot manages to be an interesting blend of the old and the new, and a relatively green and leafy place in summer. As well as the shiny new banks and department stores downtown, there's an extensive area in the south of the town with old, narrow streets built of black bricks and heavy roof tiles. These days Hohhot is largely a Han city, though there is also a Hui and a Mongol presence; it's worthwhile tracking down the
Mongol areas, not least to try some of their distinctive
food . The other reason for visiting Hohhot is its proximity to some of the famous Mongolian
grasslands which lie within a hundred-kilometre radius of the city.
The City
The focus of the city is
Xinhua Square , at the junction of Xilinguole Lu and the east-west axis Xinhua Dajie; early in the morning the square becomes an exercise ground for hundreds of people. A few blocks to the east of here is the newest shopping street in town, Xincheng Lu (New City Street), while the busiest shopping area is on Zhongshan Lu, south of Xinhua Lu, around the
Nationalities Market , a huge department store. Just to the south,
Renmin Park is a fairly standard arrangement of lakes, causeways and pavilions, home to the city zoo.
There is just one historic building marooned in the new city, away to the east on Xincheng Xi Jie. This is the Jiangjun Yashu (daily 8am-4.30pm; ¥5). It was actually the government office of a prominent Qing-dynasty general, even though it looks like a temple. Now it's a tiny museum with some bizarre modern Buddhist art in the right wing, and some curious Qing office furniture at the back.
More centrally located, the Inner Mongolia Museum (daily 9am-5pm; ¥8) on the corner of Xinhua Dajie and Hulunbei'er Lu - a few minutes' walk from the Xincheng hotel - is well worth a visit. In the downstairs exhibition, there's a large display of ethnic Mongolian items, such as costumes, saddles, long leather coats and cummerbunds, as well as hunting and sporting implements, including some very European-looking hockey sticks and balls. There's also a fascinating paleontology display, with complete fossils of a woolly rhinoceros and a sizeable dinosaur. Upstairs are interesting maps and objects detailing the exploits of Genghis Khan, and the huge Mongol empire of the thirteenth century.
Away from the centre, a couple of kilometres north of the train station, is a gigantic race course , the biggest in China, built in the shape of two circular Mongolian yurts, adjacent and connected to each other, to form the elongated shape of a stadium. In the evening, displays of Mongolian singing and dancing sometimes take place here (try enquiring at the upmarket hotels, or at CTS for details of performances). Take #13 bus from the centre of town for the race course.
Most of the historic buildings of Hohhot are crowded into the interesting old southwestern part of the city, where you can enjoyably spend the best part of a day simply ambling around. The Great Mosque , at the southern end of Zhongshan Lu, is an attractive old building bearing traces of Chinese and Arabic style, constructed of black brick and accompanied by a Chinese-style minaret with a pagoda roof. Some of the Hui people who worship here are extremely friendly, and they will probably be delighted if you look round their mosque (though ask first). The streets around the mosque comprise the Muslim area of town, and you'll see a lot of old men here with wispy beards and skull caps.
Walking south from the mosque for about fifteen minutes along the main road, you'll come to a couple of Buddhist temples. The biggest of these is the Dazhao (daily 8am-5pm; ¥5), down a side street west of the main road. Originally constructed in 1579 and recently renovated, the Dazhao is an excellent example of its type. In the late seventeenth century, the temple was dedicated to the famous Qing emperor Kangxi - a gold tablet with the words "Long Live the Emperor" was set before the silver statue of Sakyamuni, and in the main hall murals depicting the visit of the Emperor Kangxi can still be seen.
Just a few minutes from Dazhao, over on the other side of the main road, is the Xilituzhao (daily 8am-5pm; ¥3), another temple of similar scale and layout to the Dazhao, and dating from the same era, though it has been lovingly restored since the destruction of the Cultural Revolution. The dagoba is interesting for featuring Sanskrit writing above Chinese dragons above Tibetan-style murals. Since 1735 this has been the official residence of the reincarnation of the Living Buddha, who is in charge of Buddhist affairs in the city. Friendly and homesick Tibetan monks who speak pretty good English are happy to show you around.
Farther east, via a diverting walk along winding, narrow alleys, you'll come to the most attractive piece of architecture in the city, known as the Wuta Si (Five Towers Temple; daily 8am-5pm; ¥2). Built in 1727, in pure Indian style, this composite of five pagodas originally belonged to the Ci Deng Temple, which no longer exists. It's relatively small, but its walls are engraved with no fewer than 1563 Buddhas, all in slightly different postures. Currently stored inside the pagoda building is a rare, antique Mongolian cosmological map which marks the position of hundreds of stars.
