Natural environment and cultural environment of Xilingele, Inner Mongolia

One of the impressions of Xilingrad Grassland - Scenery

It has been raining in Beijing for days, and the high temperature and muggy weather these days are really unbearable. It's the weekend again, and I have the feeling of escaping - to the Xilingrad grassland, - to Dalinuoer Lake. Determined, I packed my bags and headed north, north.

Everything in the Xilingrad grassland is so new to me, and everything makes me so excited.

On the first day, we drove all the way to Xilinhot City. Breaking out of the sweltering prison of Beijing, the sky became brighter and brighter as we walked. After passing the Zhangbei area and entering the Mongolian area, the pure grassland scenery gradually emerges. We were lucky enough to see both cloudy and sunny days in the grassland in just two days. On cloudy days, the clouds on the grassland are very low and move very fast, making people feel that the clouds and mist are within reach, and the clouds and smoke are passing through the fingertips. A few rays of the setting sun penetrated the thick clouds and slanted towards the grassy slopes, illuminating the vast grassland in patches of light and darkness. It is precisely this change of light and shadow that makes the grassland landscape richer and more mysterious. Under the dark clouds, there was only a strip of light where the sky and the earth meet in the west. Suddenly, a fiery red sunset appeared in the strip of light and illuminated the entire land. It moved below the ground line in just one minute. We marveled at the wonder of nature.

The next day we drove to Dalinol Lake. The sky has cleared up, and I can see the sun that has not been seen for many days. The air is so fresh and the fragrance of grass is everywhere. The clear blue sky has only a few white clouds floating on the horizon. The endless grassland is illuminated with bright green colors. Occasionally, patches of bright yellow rapeseed flowers paint the green space with richer colors. At this moment, the advertisement for "Nippon Paint" suddenly played over and over again in my mind. When I first saw it, I thought the colors in the advertisement were too exaggerated, but the scenery in front of me made me feel that the colors were not gorgeous enough. "I really want to draw," I said excitedly. The small camera can no longer capture the entire scenery. Photography, writing, oil painting, singing, any single form can no longer accurately express the mood at this time.

The green of the grassland is sometimes so single, just the blue sky and green land at the intersection of heaven and earth. The elevated antennas, pasture fences, two big trees, and winding paths that seem ordinary at ordinary times have all become embellishments, and they have become the finishing touch in this open wilderness.

Han Hong's song "Come on, come on, come on, let's have fun together!" was playing in the car. At this time, I can understand why artists go to various places to collect scenery. Such beautiful scenery really inspires people to create. I stopped the car and ran to the hillside and sang all the Mongolian songs I could think of. Playing with the cows, watching the horses and their families enjoying themselves, lying on the grass and soaking up the sunshine are one of the great pleasures of life.

Impressions of Xilingrad Grassland 2 - Animals

I am a person with a psychological disorder towards animals. I usually scream when I see cats and dogs in the city. Little scream. This trip to Xilingrad was the most recent time I had contact with animals.

The white sheep on the hillside in the distance are like handfuls of rice scattered on the green land. The herds of cows yelping on the grass nearby are cute and cute, including black, brown, yellow, flowery, and white. Because I was wearing red clothes, I didn’t dare to get close to the cattle. The most gentlemanly manner is when the cattle are crossing the road. No matter how anxious you are, no matter how loud the whistle is, I will take my steps leisurely.

The horse’s fur shines in the sun, highlighting its strong muscles. When running, the horse's mane flutters in the wind, which is incomparably beautiful. The pony is just a few days old, its slender calves seem to be unable to support its body, and it is inseparable from its mother.

The cows and horses here are a little afraid of people, and they will rush to the other side as soon as people approach them. Sheep are not afraid of people and will take the initiative to run to your feet and lick your shoes. Sitting on the quiet grassland and listening to the sound of the sheep and goats gnawing on the grass next to me is more enjoyable than eating anything else.

The Chinese fish in Dalinuoer Lake are only twenty or thirty centimeters long, but the number cannot be calculated. The fishermen at the lake were very busy catching one fish every three to five minutes. Local people say they can catch thirty kilograms a day.

The cutest one is the Kashir squirrel. When driving on the road, you can often see yellow rats crossing the road. Once I saw a yellow squirrel lying on the ground only on its hind legs, with its front legs curled up, standing upright and looking into the distance, as if it was inspecting the passing vehicles and preparing to cross the road.

Another beautiful sight in Dali Lake in September and October is the birds. According to locals, birds migrating south in winter will roost here. There are swans, red-crowned cranes, white cranes and many other species.

Xilingrad Prairie is really a paradise for animals.

The third impression of Xilingrad Grassland - Life

Xilingrad Grassland is very cool, and the climate at this time is a bit like the weather after the Beginning of Autumn in Beijing. On a sunny day, it is a little hot in the sun, but very cool in the shade. It's windy here, and you can see several large windmills that generate electricity. The dark and red faces of the locals are a masterpiece of sunshine and wind. Most people wear long clothes and long trousers during the day, and they must cover themselves tightly with thick quilts at night, otherwise they will freeze. Xilingrad Prairie is really a good place to escape the heat in summer.

Staying at a lakeside resort is a wise choice. The single-family cabin is very atmospheric. It reminds me of the courtyard where I lived in Thailand, where I could sit on the lounge chair at the door, eat tropical fruits, and chat, it was quiet and comfortable. There is a standard room inside the wooden house. The facilities are not luxurious but still convenient.

No air conditioning, no heating, the resort is closed in the winter. Standing in the yard, you can see someone riding a horse on the grassland. On the other side of the sparkling Dali Lake, a row of people were sitting on the trestle fishing. The white yurts beside the wooden house embellish the grassland with ethnic characteristics. You can see the sunrise over the lake while lying in bed in the morning.

Self-driving is the most convenient way to travel in the grassland. There is no very clear destination, so you can park wherever you like. There are not many cars and you can drive as fast as the highway. There are often slow-moving cattle passing by on the road, and the car has to be stopped to pay attention. The yellow rats passing through the streets also add to the fun of driving on the grassland.

The local residents here all live in brick houses, and the yurts have been turned into tourist facilities. There is a hill-like pile of cow dung in front of the courtyard gate, which is their fuel. I also picked up two pieces of cow dung and a handful of dirt from the grass. This is my personal idea: wherever I travel, I should bring back a handful of soil as a souvenir. I am ready to take all the soil from all over the country into my arms.

The blue sky, white clouds, endless prairie, dotted with yurts. This is the rare unpolluted Inner Mongolia prairie in the world.

In Inner Mongolia, you can have close contact with the grassland people, experience the grassland culture and feel the national customs. In this place where Genghis Khan once galloped, there are more fascinating ancient legends and many mysterious places.

Europeans' "Oriental Myth" - Shangdu of the Yuan Dynasty

More than seven hundred years ago, the Mongolian nobles established a capital city on the prairie, which later became the capital of the Yuan Dynasty - — Yuan Shangdu. After several expansions, Yuanshangdu gradually became the political, economic, military and cultural center of China and even the world at that time.

Every year from early summer to late autumn, the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty came here to cool off, hunt, and handle government affairs. Envoys, princes, ministers, and wealthy businessmen from various countries who came to perform pilgrimage gathered in Shangdu, making it a place that influenced Asia and Europe. A cosmopolitan city on two continents. Marco Polo and his son were summoned by Kublai Khan here.

It is recorded in "The Travels of Marco Polo" that "Shangdu was the capital city built by Kublai Khan. The palaces built of marble and various beautiful stones were exquisitely designed and luxuriously decorated, which was breathtaking. . All the halls and rooms in the palace are gilded and decorated magnificently. "Yuan Shangdu is also called "Oriental Myth" by Europeans.

The Han culture of the Central Plains and the Mongolian culture of the north are perfectly combined here. This capital city designed by the Han people has a reasonable layout, excellent site selection, and reasonable defense design. An expert who specializes in studying the ruins of Yuan Shangdu said that its overall layout not only reflects the traditional urban layout concept of the Han people, but also takes into account the characteristics of the nomadic life of the Mongolian people. It is a grassland city rich in nomadic cultural characteristics.

Rare glacial stone forest

When the remaining veins of the Daxingan Mountains transitioned to the western grasslands, magma activity, glacial movement and natural wind erosion eventually formed the world's rare granite stone forest - Kesh Ashatu Granite Stone Forest in Keten Banner.

Before I could get enough of the scenery of silver-white birch trees and patches of grass, many stone pillars suddenly stood tall on the flat grass. Either in groups of three or five, or standing alone. Reclining camels, arrow stones, horse-tying posts, and beautiful girls looking at the moon, natural creation and the imagination of later generations have become various unique landscapes.

The stone forest here is made entirely of hard granite, which looks like a thousand-layer cake from a distance. There are glaciers distributed on the top of the stone forest, which is the first time this has been discovered at home and abroad. While attracting many tourists to watch, it has also become a rare scientific research material for studying ancient geology and ancient landform changes.

Because of the sparse human footprint and large forest area, people here say that they can still often see wild roe deer, gazelle, deer, and wolves. After the rain, it is also fun to pick mushrooms in the woods or look for wild deer antlers. At the end of his words, the locals pointed to the mountains in the distance and said that there was the famous Daxinganling.

Genghis Khan's "God-given Stone"

Bahrain Stone is a specialty of Bahrain Right Banner. It has a pure and moist texture, rich and gorgeous color, and is known as "China's Four Seal Stones" one. Among them, Bahrain bloodstone is considered to be the best among them, with a warm and solid texture. The stone is stained with "blood stains", which are gathered and dispersed in an orderly manner. It is radiant, just like the red clouds reflecting the moon, the icing on the cake. It is a rare stone for appreciation, carving and collection.

According to legend, at the celebration banquet of Genghis Khan’s unification of various Mongolian tribes, his subordinates presented a Bahrain stone bowl. The Great Khan filled it with fine wine, frequently raised the glass, and kept praising, “A stone given by God!” .

If you are interested, in Inner Mongolia, you can take a leisurely camel ride in the desert or run a horse in the grassland. There is no hustle and bustle of cities in the Inner Mongolia prairie, but only the vastness and tranquility of the grassland.

There are too many legends and stories about Genghis Khan here, and there are many places worthy of nostalgia.