Hohhot, the Green Pastures of the North        6/22/2008 11:29:37 AM

Inner Mongolia has the lure of open grassy plains, herds of horses and sheep roaming freely while nomadic herdsmen watch over their flock, and a stretch of blue sky that eventually touches the green plains far off in the horizon. 

Hohhot, the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, may not immediately stir images of a rough and ready frontier, but what this cosmopolitan city does offer is a gateway to the majesty of the grasslands which lie just beyond the city. The sights within the city shouldn't be dismissed either. Once a political and cultural center, the relics of the past are strewn throughout. 

More than 36 ethnic groups live in Hohhot's confines, with Mongolians making up about 9% of the population.

Bone fragments of early humans who lived in the area as early as 500,000 years ago have been found; these early ancestors are

Life on Inner Mongolia's vast grasslands

thought to be contemporaries of Peking Man. The first permanent establishment began about 2,300 years ago during the Warring States Period when the King of Zhao built the city-Yunzhong in the area.

The merger ofa 16th century Mongolian settlement and a city founded by Ming emperor Wanli has become present day Hohhot.

Though no longer apparent, the city was once a center of Buddhism with over 50 temples, although many are now in ruins. The Dazhao Temple , "zhao" means temple in Mongolian, was built in 1580 and is home to a 2.5m tall silver Buddha which the 3rd Dalai Lama came to personally bless in 1586. The 30,000m2 complex is an interesting mix of Tibetan and Han architectural traditions.

The Xilitu Temple  , only 100m away from the Dazhao Temple is the largest and prettiest temple. It was built from 1567 to 1619 and has seen continual expansion. The 4th Dalai Lama's teacher was the former abbot of this Lama temple and upon the accession of the 4th Dalai Lama; the temple was greatly expanded in honor of his teacher. The temple complex is mostly of traditional Han Chinese design, but the Dajing Hall features Tibetan styling. In the southeast corner is a 15m high tower. During the regularly held Buddhist festivals, colorful dancers wear intricate Tibetan style masks.

Just north of the Dazhao Temple is the Five Pagoda Temple. This site was originally part of Cideng Temple , which had five pagodas. Only one pagoda remains in this smallish garden, the rest of the pagodas were unable to stand the test of time. The remaining pagoda stands a tall 16m and is topped with five smaller pagodas. Carved into the bottom of

The five Pagoda Temple

the pagoda are Buddhist scriptures in Tibetan, Mongolian and Han script. On the upper- tiers of the pagoda are more than a thousand gold plated Buddha figurines. On the northern wall, there's a 1.45m long astronomical map in Mongolian, the only one of its kind.

About 9km south of Hohhot is the 30m high Tomb of Wang Zhaojun . Wang Zhaojun was a maid in waiting during the Western Han dynasty, who was renowned for her exceptional beauty and intelligence. Wang Zhanjun wasn't an actual concubine; rather she was one of the many women who were concubine candidates.

These women would live uneventful lives in the palace waiting for the emperor to choose them to grace his imperial bedchamber. When a northern Xiongnu chief asked for a Han princess to marry, the emperor decided to betroth Wang Zhanjun. At the wedding banquet the emperor was chagrined to discover her amazing beauty and exceptional wit. He later discovered that the court painter had purposely painted her ugly because the upright maiden refused to offer him a bribe. The able bride was now freed from the stifling palace and played an important role in keeping the peace between the Han dynasty and the northern tribes. Her tumulus, which is

Genghis Khan carved the world's largest empire

covered with trees and grass, is nicknamed the "Green Tomb" because, supposedly, the grass on the small mound remains green when all others wither with the arrival of cold weather.

One cannot mention Mongol without referring to one of the world's most famous and feared figures of all time, Genghis Khan. From humble beginnings, the Great Khan united the feuding Mongolian tribes into an unstoppable war-machine that created an empire spreading from the Pacific Ocean to the doors of Western Europe. Genghis Khan conquered all within his path and was known for integrating new ideas and foreign personnel if they were useful. His mounted warriors were so feared in Europe that their coming was considered the coming of the Apocalypse.



Genghis died in 1227 battling the Western Xia in China's northwest. According to Mongolian tradition of the time, nobles would be buried at a place of their own choosing and Genghis' chosen site has yet to be discovered. According to legend, after he was buried, hors