Hohhot---Travel In China

Hohhot (呼和浩特 Pinyin: Huhéhàotè), occasionally spelled Huhehot, is the capital city of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

Population: 683,200 (1994)
Area: __ km²
Abbreviation: Hu City (Hu-shi)
GDP per capita: ¥11789 (ca. US$1420) in 2003, ranked no. 201 among 659 Chinese cities.
The name "Hohhot" is Mongolian for "a green city".

History
Until 1954, Hohhot had been called in China as Guisui (Guisui), or Kweisui, which is the acronym of the two districts of the city:
Guihua: Southeastern old section, business district, established as a town in the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty
Suiyuan: Northeastern "New Town", government district. Established in the 17th century by the Manchus.
The two sections later became Guihua District of the Qing Empire, renamed to Guisui County in 1913, and upgraded to a city in 1950.

It was the capital of the defunct Suiyuan Province.

Geography
Located in the southern central part of Inner Mongolia.

Administration
9 county-level banners, 20 street offices, 96 townships.

Demographics
11% Mongols, rest is mostly Han, with Korean, Hui, and Manchu minority.

Culture
Inner Mongolian University is in Hohhot.

Artifacts

There are over 50 sets of murals in southeastern Hohhot, including a "Horse-tending Image". Over 50 pre-modern Buddhist temples and towers.

Cemetery of Zhaojun dates back to the Han Dynasty.

Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China, lies between the Yinshan Mountain and the Yellow River. 36 ethnic groups and some 50 odd ancient temples make this grassland paradise particularly charming.


Hohhot, which is Mongolian for "green city", dates from 306 B.C. and throughout its long history has been an important cultural center of the region. Today it is the most important city in Inner Mongolia and is home to 36 different ethnic groups. Notable among these are Mongolian, Han, Manchu, Hui, Tibetan, Dawoer, Elunchun, Ewenke and Korean, etc. The city zone covers 17,224 square kilometers (6,650.19 square miles) with a population exceeding 1,400,000.


Hohhot is an ideal place to relax away from modern day pressure thanks to the magnificent natural beauty of the Gegentala and Xilamuren Grasslands as well as fantastic cultural sites such as the Dazhao Temple, Five-Pagoda Temple and the Xilituzhao Palace . Mongolian folk songs and wrestling are popular entertainments while ethnic delicacies and the clemency of the local people add to the enjoyment of a stay here. Travelers can enjoy a wide variety of activities including horse riding, or maybe visiting the home of a herdsman's family or roaming over the vast grassland and of course there is the thrilling Nadam Fair.


As a tourist resort, Hohhot has a modern reliable transport network, excellent hotels and large shopping centers. The city brings together specialties from all over Inner Mongolia, ranging from Mongolian silverwares, carpets, cashmere, camel hair products, traditional knives,decorative deer antlers, narrow-leaved oleaster curtain, oatmeal and various dairy products to fancy Mongolian costumes.
A trip to Hohhot will leave you in a peaceful state of mind after what is sure to be an unforgettable experience.