Sight Overview
Remote as Hohhot is there are numerous places of interest here. It is mainly the grasslands, however, that pull domestic and foreign visitors into the city, despite the fairly interesting sights that are mostly centered to the southwest of the center. The grasslands are a nice place to spend a few days, sleeping in traditional Mongolian yurts, horse riding and trekking about.
The city itself can easily keep you occupied for a day or two, and the best way to get around is almost certainly by bike (see Transport Overview). A day’s cycle tour will take you around almost all the main sights and I have listed it as an itinerary below, although obviously you may choose just to visit a few of these sights.
The Inner Mongolian Museum, can be found near to the center of the city and it contains a good run down of the history and culture of Inner Mongolia, from prehistoric to post-”liberation”. From here heading down Zhongshan lu you will pass People’s Park, on your left, which is a nice diversion, and turning left down Gongyuan xilu, you will eventually come to the Five Pagoda Temple, the city’s most attractive architectural construction. From here you can return to Zhongshan lu, and heading westwards you will enter the Muslim Quarter of town. The Great Mosque can be found here, a fairly interesting combination of Chinese and Arabic architecture, at the intersection of Zhongshan lu and Tongdao jie. The last two sights in the city proper can be found by heading southwards from the mosque, down Tongdao jie. The first you will see will be on your right, the Xilituzhao Temple, is the largest in town and is the official residence of the city’s Living Buddha. A little further on and you will come to the Dazhao Temple, also known as the Silver Buddha Temple, due to the large silver statue of Sakyamuni that can be found within.
If you have time you may also want to visit a sight a little further out of town, the Tomb of Wang Zhaojun, the burial place of a beautiful Han Dynasty concubine known for her morals and the sacrifices that she made. This is nice mostly for its scenery and can be reached by continuing southwards for about 8km, down the road from the last two temples above.
A good time to visit the city is during the Naadam Festival, when the city is a burst of color and activity. If you are in the city there is probably more to do, but you may wish to head to the Geggentala grasslands, that are a hive of activity, with wrestling, archery, horseracing and more.
Sight Index
- Sights recommended by Lonelychina.
Dazhao Temple
Five Pagoda Temple
Great Mosque
Inner Mongolia Museum
Tomb of Wang Zhaojun
Xilituzhao Temple
The Grasslands(Xilamuren,Gegentala, Huitengxile)
