What are the fun places in Xilingol, Inner Mongolia?

What are the fun places in Xilingol, Inner Mongolia?

Xilingol is vast, covering an area of ??more than 200,000 square kilometers, larger than many provinces in China. It was the center of the world in the 13th century and the largest Eurasian grassland in China. There are more than 200 ancient volcanoes located on the grassland in the territory. The Jin family, the descendants of Genghis Khan, still live leisurely on this grassland like shepherds. The world's intangible cultural heritage - Mongolian long tune music is still a part of the lives of Xilin Gol herdsmen, singing the starry sky of the grassland with the most primitive magic.

I went to Xilin Gol twice this year and it's my favorite place but I still haven't I haven't traveled everywhere so I can I can't give the most prepared answer but I can recommend me Places visited:

Beizi Temple Beizi Temple was named after Aria Zhang Longban met directly, and it was named Chongshan Temple during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. As a historically famous Buddhist institution and one of the four major Tibetan Buddhist temples in central and western Inner Mongolia, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council in 2006 and is now a national AAAA scenic spot.

According to historical records, Beizi Temple was built in the eighth year of Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1743 AD) and has been continuously repaired by seven generations of living Buddhas. The entire building complex is centered on the three temples of Chaokeqin Hall, Ganming Hall, and Queri Hall, and includes eight halls including Zhuduba Hall, Manba Hall, Tsongkhapa Hall, Dinkel Hall, and Xinlaburen Hall. Numerous temples and six pagodas form a grand architectural complex covering an area of ??1.2 square kilometers. In its heyday, there were more than 1,200 lamas and monks.

On the way to Ujimqin White Horse, Sun Shu, my country’s famous Mongolian expert, has been explaining the story of Ujimqin to us. He said that Ujimqin is Mongolian and means someone related to grapes when translated into Chinese. Ujumqin means grape, and Qin means Zhe in Mongolian. Ujimqinbulo is a Mongolian ethnic group who migrated from the Putao Mountains at the southern foot of the Altai Mountains in Xinjiang for many years in the 17th century.

He said that there is a well-known story among the people about the fall of Ujimqin. It is said that a long time ago, ancestors lived at the southern foot of the Altai Mountains in Xinjiang. Suddenly one day, they decided to leave their hometown on horseback and head east to start a new life. The white horse, which had already adapted to life in the snowy mountains, became their unified traveling companion. When the Umuqin people said goodbye to those who stayed in their hometown, they were wrapped in white gauze, wearing white Mongolian robes, riding white horses, holding hands with tears in their eyes, hoping to meet again one day. The pure whiteness of the vast sky and earth is a sign that future generations will meet again after parting. In the eyes of the Ujimqin people, and even in the entire Mongolian faith, white is a symbol of peace and holiness. No other color can replace the beauty and touch that white once brought them. This pure white horse team, which stretches for several miles, carries the endless expectations and yearnings of the Ujimqin people. It comes slowly and persistently eastward until it stops at the meadow grassland (Ujimqin Grassland) at the east end of Xilin Gol. The most beautiful grassland then developed into their new home.

When talking about the White Horse, Uncle Sun added: After Genghis Khan established the Mongol Empire, in order to consolidate the country, he wanted to find a treasure land to worship heaven. He believed that the Altai Mountains were the most sacred, so he went to the Altai Mountains himself, tied 81 white mares at the foot of the Altai Mountains, used sacred milk buckets to fetch the mare's milk, and used curved birch trees as stirring sticks. The ram's horn is used as the nine-eyed auspicious key to obtain the mare's milk, with a total of 77 shamans. Today's Ujimqin White Horse is the breed used by Chenggis Khan to worship the gods and the sky during the day.

Baodel Stone Forest Baodel Stone Forest, also known as Northern Stone Forest or Grassland Stone Forest, is located 150 kilometers northeast of Sunitzoqi, at the junction of Dalai Sumu and Mongolia. The area is about 30 square kilometers. It is the product of seafloor uplift during crustal movements 120 million years ago. There are many strange rocks in the whole scenic area, with strange shapes, and all the people or animals are lifelike.

In fact, in Yu Fan's opinion, Baode Stone Forest is not so much a stone forest as a kind of landform on the grassland. The so-called Yadan landform is actually a Uyghur word, and its original meaning refers to a mound with steep walls. It is a wind-eroded landform in arid areas, and there are many desert areas in Xinqiang and Gansu. For example, the ghost town in Dunhuang is a typical Yadan landform. Their biggest similarity is that these rocks are similar in shape and were formed over tens of thousands of years or more.

However, compared with the typical Yadan landform, the difference is obvious. For example, in our environment, the Yadan landforms in Xinqiang and Gansu are both on the Gobi Desert or in the desert, while the Baoer Stone Forest is in a grassy grassland. Moreover, the rocks in most of the Yadan landforms in Xinqiang and Gansu are relatively soft, more like sediments lifted off the ground by crustal movements and sculpted by wind and rain and deposited on the seabed. Therefore, they look relatively soft and climbing is generally prohibited. The Baode Stone Forest is a very hard rock, and even if we climb to the top of these stone towers, the landscape itself will not be damaged.

For those of us who have lived in cities for a long time, we can’t expect to see starry skies like this in cities now. Because dazzling street lamps and light box advertisements can be seen everywhere. They obscure the sky so that even on the clearest summer nights we can see only a few scattered stars. It's almost crazy to shoot the stars, but it's different on the grassland. There is no big steam pollution and light pollution here. When night falls, you can see the sky full of stars, making it a perfect place to take pictures of the stars.

On the Xilin Gol Prairie, you can see the purest starry sky, which is so shocking.

During the trip to Xilingol League Museum, we not only need to appreciate the natural scenery of famous mountains and rivers, but also understand the history and culture of a place, so as to broaden our horizons and increase our knowledge. The most direct and effective way to understand the history and culture of a place is to visit a local museum. There will definitely be the most authoritative, comprehensive and systematic introduction to local history and culture there. Therefore, whenever Yu Fan went to a place, he would go to the local museum as much as possible, so he went to Xilin Gol.

Speaking of Xilin Gol, some friends may not know it. Yu Fan will give you a brief introduction here. Xilingol is Mongolian, meaning river in the hilly area. Located in the middle of Inner Mongolia, it borders Mongolia to the north. The border is 1,098 kilometers long and the total area is more than 200,000 square kilometers, which is larger than many provinces in China. It governs 9 banners, 2 cities and 1 county, with a population of more than 1 million. This is a sparsely populated place. There are two land ports in the alliance, namely Erenhot and Junggar Dabqi. Erenhot is an open border city approved by the State Council of the People's Republic of China (China). It is an important land bridge connecting People's China with Mongolia, Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

Mongolian Hancheng

Mongolian Khancheng is located in the hinterland of the West Ujimqin Grassland. It is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction integrating food, accommodation and entertainment. The scenic area covers a large area, reportedly covering more than 20 square kilometers. It mainly focuses on Mongolian cultural tourism, leisure and entertainment, and grassland tourism. The architectural style of the scenic spot is modeled on the Mongolian tribal style in Genghis Khan. On the whole, it is composed of various yurt groups centered on Jinding Zhangda.

When we arrived in Hancheng, a row of Mongolian beauties in costumes were already standing at the door to greet us, holding hada and wine in their hands.

After we got off the bus, they sang us a loud and melodious Mongolian song in the first line. As for what was being sung, Yu Fan could not understand a single word without me. Uncle Ulan Hada, a Mongolian expert who was traveling with us, told us that this is the song used by the Mongolian people to welcome distinguished guests.

When traveling on the grassland when visiting herdsmen, we not only have to appreciate the beautiful scenery, taste delicious food, and feel the grassland culture, but we also have to go into the herdsmen, chat with them, understand their lives, and feel their happiness.

Where can I find such herdsmen? In fact, the villagers on the grassland are very hospitable. Where to play, if you see a yurt nearby, you can check it out. If there is a host, you can talk to them if there is no language problem (the older ones may not necessarily speak Mandarin, but the younger ones usually do).

If it is difficult to find other places and you are worried about language barriers, there are also many primitive herdsmen around Mongolian Khan City. It is said that they are all descendants of Genghishan's golden family. Although the glorious Yuan Dynasty has become history, they still drink, sing, herd, and live a free life on the grasslands. After getting accommodation, put down your luggage, make an appointment with some friends, and go directly to the prairie to visit the surrounding herders, including shepherds.

The herdsmen are very enthusiastic and will squeeze some mare milk for us to drink. Milking mare milk is also a daily job on the grassland. Friends who are interested can experience it by themselves.

Sunit Bactrian Camel

It is a subordinate flag of Sunit Xilin Gol and is divided into left and right flags. Ordinary people like to call them Dongsu and Xisu. Sunit is the famous camel hometown in China and the origin of the famous Sunit Bactrian camel. So when you arrive in Ximeng, you must go to Sunit to see the local camels.

Ulan Hada, an expert from Inner Mongolia, told us that the camels raised by Sunit Zuoqi are all Bactrian camels, which are one of the excellent camel varieties in Inner Mongolia. Sunit Bactrian camels are mainly purple and apricot, followed by brown and white, but less frequently.

Erenhot Dinosaur National Geopark Erenhot, a famous border port in China, is also China’s largest road and railway port city open to Mongolia. Connected to the small port of Zamyn-Uud in Mongolia, it is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of the Xilingol League. As for the name Erenhot, Sun Shu, a fellow Mongolian expert, explained it this way. Erlianhot means city in Mongolian, and Erlian means two people, which means colorful. It is about nine kilometers away from the urban area. Erenhot means colorful dream in Mongolian, and also means mirage.

As for why it is called a colorful city, Uncle Sun has no Idon’, I won’t explain in detail. According to Yu Fans own understanding, there are green grasslands, yellow Gobi, blue salt ponds, white sheep, black horses and brown camels. These colors form the colorful Erenhot. On the other hand, it has rich history and diverse culture, such as the famous Prairie Silk Road, Longhui Station and the older Dinosaur Town.

Speaking of the hometown of dinosaurs, Erenhot has done a good job in excavation and protection in this regard. They have built a huge Cretaceous Dinosaur National Geopark in the Erlian Basin and are also building a brand new dinosaur museum. It is said that in the 1990s, a joint expedition team composed of paleontologists and geologists from Russia, the United States, Canada and other countries as well as China conducted six large-scale expeditions here and concluded that it was here more than 65 million years ago. It used to be a paradise for dinosaurs, and it's here. It shows that this land experienced unprecedented prosperity before the emergence of humans and was a veritable hometown of dinosaurs.

Listen to Ujimqin’s long tune once

The Ujimqin long tune of Xilingol League is one of the oldest folk tunes in the northern grasslands. It is the perfect fusion of soul and nature, sound and sound, the echo of the sound of nature in the hearts of nomadic people, and the perfect expression of the harmony and unity of man and nature. It has a long history. I remember that when Wu Hao, director of the Beijing Boluo Tourism Bureau, introduced Xilin Gol to us, he specifically mentioned the Mongolian long tune music, a world intangible cultural heritage, which is still a part of the life of Xilin Gol herdsmen. Use the most primitive magic to sing the starry sky on the grassland; there is a popular saying among local people, those who can walk fight for victory, and those who can talk sing long tunes, which is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

Witness the migration of yurts

The Mongolian people have been nomadic people who migrate based on water and grass since ancient times (in recent years, with the division of grasslands, many places have begun to settle down for grazing). They have to carry out four major migrations every year as the seasons change, and may have more than ten small migrations, in order to let the grasslands in various places rest and continue grazing in the coming year. According to Mr. Sun Qiuchun, an expert on Mongolian folklore, the relocation of yurts is also called relocation, and is generally carried out according to the rules of Qiupingqiupingxiagangchunwa

Therefore, the Mongolian people will move according to the terrain, climate, and grassland conditions of the grassland. , choose areas with rich pasture and sufficient water for grazing to enhance their ability to withstand disasters. Their basic criteria are that the so-called spring depression means choosing a low-lying place to avoid wind and sand in spring, where the grassland melts snow early, or where there are surface and underground water sources. Low-lying areas tend to have plenty of water and the grass turns green early.

Baragan River Nomadic Tribe

The grassland in summer is green and the grassland is golden in autumn. Summer is beautiful and autumn is charming. The Balagan Nomadic Tribe is an important part of the Guligstei National Nature Reserve. Once rated as the most beautiful village in China, it is the most primitive nomadic tribe Yu Fan has seen in Inner Mongolia. There are no superfluous artificial structures. The winding Balagan River is like a jade belt floating in the same sky, inlaid on the golden grassland, very beautiful.

The Balagan River Nomadic Tribe is located 50 kilometers south of the seat of the West Ujimqin Banner government (Balaga Gaole Town), covering an area of ??82 square kilometers. There are not only rolling grasslands, but also winding and tall mountains, dense meadow grasslands, wooded forest grasslands, and desolate desert grasslands. These continuous transitions between various types of grasslands absolutely subvert our imagination of grasslands.

The birch forest in Rigestai

Gusta National Nature Reserve, a name I can never remember, is located in Bala, West Ujimqin Banner 55 kilometers southeast of Gaole Town. It takes about two hours to drive from Xiwuqi, and a round trip takes more than half a day. However, during our four-day trip to Xiwu in September, we went twice. Maybe a lot of people don’t understand why we have to go so far away twice because it’s so beautiful.

The southern part of Zigutai National Nature Reserve is adjacent to Chifeng City Saihanwula National Nature Reserve and Ulaba-Shipenggou Autonomous Region Nature Reserve, with a total area of ??98,931 hectares. It is a rare mountain grassland in Xiwu Banner. It has rivers, forests, mountains and landform features that are not found in other places in Xiwu Banner. It can be regarded as subverting our inherent impression of Xiwu Banner.

There are many beautiful places in Xilinle and many places worth visiting. More and more details need to be experienced by yourself.