Xilamuren Grasslands is the nearest such tourist attraction to Hohhot, and the grasslands that was first to be exploited (early nomads kept their flocks here, while later descendants would build the first Buddhist temples of Inner Mongolia here). On the riverside of Xilamuren lies a Lama temple, which was built in 1769, i.e., during the Qing (CE 1644-1911) Dynasty. The temple served as the temporary abode where the Six Living Buddhas at Xilituzhao Palace would spend their summers in meditation. The main hall of the temple, as well as the gateway and the east- and west-wing rooms, remain intact to this day.

During the Nadam Fair that is held each summer, the entire grasslands at Xilamuren is throbbing with excitement, and is full of endless activities. Besides being spectator to the “Three Manly Sports” – wrestling, horseback riding, and archery (the brave, or perhaps foolhardy, can choose to participate) – as well as watching Mongolian sportsmen race camels, the tourist can find out what it is like to live in a yurt, where one can also take part in a grand campfire party, replete with singing and dancing and general merrymaking, until one drops from exhaustion.

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Huiteng Prairie:

55 kilometers away from Xizhang Highway, Huiteng Prairie is located in the connecting part of Meadow Grassland and Representative Grassland, and on Huiteng Basalt Mesa with an altitude of 1300 meters around. On the Representative Prairie, tourists will not only appreciate the unique scenery and vegetation, but basalt rocks out of earth and tuff rocks coming into being when volcanoes erupted.

Beizi Temple

Situated at the foot of E’erdun Aobao Mountain of Xilinhaote, Beizi Temple is one of the four famous temples of Inner Mongolia Lamaism. It was built in 1743, the ruling year of Qianlong Emperor in Qing dynasty. It was named Beizi Temple because it was located in Beizi Banner of that period and suggested to be built by Beizi balajidao’erji, leader of the banner. Beizi Temple also has a Chinese name “Chongshan Temple” given by Emperor Qianlong. It can be divided into five big halls accompanied by ten smaller halls and more than 2000 rooms as lamas’ residence. Accounting a total acreage of 1.23 square kilometers, the temple is a sacred religious site on a prairie of North China. Constructions of Beizi Temple is characterized by flying eaves, bending arches, painted girders, exquisite pavilions, and a lot of frescoes. Therefore Beizi Temple is of great value for researches on history and art of the ethnic group.

Xilin Aftertaste:

Over 20 kilometers off North Xilinhaote City lies a well known scenic spot called Xilin Aftertaste. It originates from an inland river which dribbles away gradually on land and then “dives” into earth. Tourists here will find a lot of swamplands, precarious grass beach, and similar phenomenon of petered rivers. In summer time the scenic spot will be decorated with green grass and colorful flowers blooming like shining stars in the sky. Herds of snow-white sheep on the wide green grassland look like white flowers embroidered on a green blanket.

Jiuqu River of Xilin:

Jiuqu River in Xilin is a famous scenic spot 13 kilometers away from Southeast Xilinhaote City. There is beautiful legend about the river. It is said that Genghis Khan and his wife once ride a horse quickly on the prairie. They were so absorbed in the beautiful scenery that neither of them found their scarf fell onto the prairie. When they realized what happened and looked back, they saw the scarf had turned the Xilin River into a new river with 99 branches which made the prairie particularly fascinating. Then Genghis Khan made such a comment: the prairie is endowed with unique power and strength, and would become a place of prosperity with clear waters and green mountains. In 1983, Jiuqu River was chosen as the shoot site for film Marco Polo collaborated by China and Italy. In 1998, pictures of Jiuqu River Scenery were printed on Xilinguole Special Stamps issued by State Post Bureau.

Scenery of the Setting Sun on Platform of Tuff Rocks:

It is about 20 kilometers off Xizhang Highway. Here you can see a lot of platforms with different angles. They are tuff rocks formulated in volcano eruptions. Looking from distance, they seem flat in order. But when you climb onto them, you will find they do not level off. The platforms are constituted with large and small tuff rocks, the bases of which have revealed with sparse coverage of vegetation. The best time to appreciate scenery on Pingding Mountain is sunset. Therefore people give the name Pingtailuori to refer to the scenery of the setting sun on platform of tuff rocks. The light of setting sun prinks the Pingding Mountain with red of kermes, makes it charming and romantic. In the sunset glow fly the smoke from kitchen chimneys of residents in the valley, leaving you with myriad feelings and emotions.

City of Customs and Traditions:

The city of Xilinhaote is the best place for you to know about and experience the pure customs and traditions of Inner Mongolia. Tourist guides will take you to Zhushi Pasture nearby Xilin City, Gagen Aobao, Xiritala Vacation Resort, and Garden of Customs and Traditions within the city.

Chagan Aobao:

30 kilometers off West Xilinhaote, Chagan Aobao is famous Aobao Mount with a long history. It is huge and high, and located in the representative prairie area. Aobao is a Mongolian word meaning “Duizi”. It refers to a stone road used as a sign of border on a wide prairie and later evolves into a symbol for praying to God of Mountain and Road for peace and happiness. Now in the heart of herdsmen Aobao signifies God and therefore has strong religious connotation. Chagan Aobao is huge in size and made of 12 stone piles with the largest one in the center. On its top insert some wickers, making the Aobao seem like a signal fire platform. Herdsmen on prairies attach much importance to memorial ceremonies for Aobao. They usually start to prepare ten days before the fete which will be hold with solemnity and grandness.

The Sea of Sand with Scattered Wood

The main body of the scenic spot is 78 kilometers away from the Xizhang Highway. There is a land of sand where lives the representative type of vegetation— elm, under which grows a variety of willows and herbage. Hunshandake Sandlot came into being 220,000 years ago. Tourists can appreciate the unique scenery of lava rock from the other side of the sandlot.
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The White Pagoda was once the repository of a great number of Buddhist scriptures, therefore the original name of the pagoda, Wanbu Huayanjing Pagoda, which means “Ten Thousand Volumes of Huayan Scripture” Pagoda.** It gets its other name, Bai Ta (“White Pagoda”) from its white appearance, both inside and out (mostly the inside appearance). Today the White Pagoda is adorned with a number of Buddhist figures, including a relief of Buddha himself, Bodhisattvas, and Warriors.

The head of a gargoyle-like mythical figure has also been found at the pagoda, and it is believed that the original pagoda was adorned with several ornamental heads of this type, which, in this particular case, seems to be a cross between a dragon and another fantasy creature known as a makura, which is common to India, causing some to speculate that the Khitan version of Buddhism had a very strong link to its country of origin; mainstream Chinese Buddhism had long since become Sinicized.

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* The Khitans (Qidans) were a small group, possibly a unique ethnic group, whose heyday occurred during the Liao Dynasty in the north of China, of which dynasty the Khitans made up the majority. They seem to have since been more or less assimilated into other parts of Chinese culture and no longer exist as a separate ethnic group, although some experts believe that the Daur ethnic group of China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region may be direct descendants of the Khitans. The Khitans’ most lasting legacy – apart from the few surviving examples of Khitan architecture – lies perhaps in their name, for both the Portuguese, the Russian, and the Spanish words for China all derive from the word “Khitan”: Catai (Portuguese); Catay (Spanish); and Kitaii (non-Cyrillic Russian). An archaic English version of the word for China – the version that appears for example in the travel journals of Marco Polo – is a derivative of the word “Khitan” as well: Cathay.

** Note that the Huayan, or Flower Garland, school of Buddhism belongs to the Mahayana Buddhist philosophy which flourished in China especially during the Tang (CE 618-907) Dynasty rule farther south (there was a time-wise overlap between the Liao and Tang Dynasties). While the Tang Dynasty rulers controlled most of the eastern part of China proper and a large chunk of western China corresponding to Qinghai and Gansu Provinces as well as parts of present-day Tibet and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regions, with a narrow corridor linking them, the Mongolians held most of the arid region to the north while the Khitans controlled the coastal areas north of China, comprising mainly Manchuria, as well as a swath of land between China and Mongolia that included parts of present-day Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The Buddhism of the Khitans was based on the Sanskrit Flower Garland Sutra, whose Chinese interpretation was the Huayan Lun.

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Huitengxile means “the cold highland” in monglian. The land here is rich and fertile, with plenty of waterfalls. From May to September, it is a sea of flower, decorated with kinds of flowers here and there. There are 15 great sights, of which the main two sights are Shenconggou Gully and Huanghua Beach. In the beautiful Tugou Ditch is a natural cave,which is more than 100 meters upright from the ground. The cave can hold almost 100 people. Heishan Mountain, with jagged rocks of grotesque shapes, has 99 caves of different size, of which the biggest one can hold 200~300 people. Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty also went there to have a visit. At the scenic spot, there are ten Mongolian yurts, where tourists can have dinners, relaxation and recreation. Some interesting activities are arranged such as horse-ride, archery match, and wrestling match as well as singing and dancing and bonfire parties.
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The Yellow River of Wuhai section is 75.5 kilometers long. The landscape here is not only vigorous and firm but also charming and gentle. Tens of various-sized islands and shoals are scattered along the section of the Yellow River like brocade dotted with many green emeralds. There are green grasslands and lofty trees on the islands and shoals. There is a charming natural landscape here and advantaged resources superiority to develop tourist industry. The following are major scenic spots:

Dazhong Shoal Scenic Area: it occupies an area of 7,000 mu, surrounded by water in four directions. Now it has been developed partially. Many flowering trees, fruit trees and ornamental trees are planted here. The whole island will become a sea of flowers in spring and summer.

Lihuazhong Shoal Scenic Area: it covers an area of 3,000 mu. Green trees form a forest and lush flowers and plants grow vigorously. Green trees, grasslands and reed present beautiful scenery. A multifunctional comprehensive entertainment park will be built here in the coming future.

Wuxiao Shoal Scenic Area: It is consisted of 5 small islands, with a total area of 1,500 mu. It is surrounded by water in four directions. There are lush trees, green grassland and blooming flowers. Lofty and lush diversifolious poplars obtain the island its famous reputation. Diversifolious poplar is also called cotton tree, Wutong tree, one of rare three species in the world. It is listed as the plant of the second species in the second-grade state protection. Various ancient and modern tourist facilities with rich Chinese national color have been built preliminarily, so it is an ideal place for visitors to go sightseeing, relaxing, spending holidays and entertaining.
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A Short Historical Interlude…
Xilituzhao Palace Temple, which is still an active Lama temple, once played an interesting, patriotic role in China’s history, though the temple and the good people of the area were surely only pawns in a rather unflattering game of trickery, albeit, for a good cause – the sake of the country.
Galdan (Choros Erdeniin Galdan (CE 1644-1697)), a descendant of the first king of Tibet, was once a young lama who had been sent to Lhasa to be educated under the 5th Dalai Lama, but gave up his study as a lama in order to avenge his older brother, who had been murdered by a half-brother. Galdan, who later founded the Dzungar Khanate (note that the term khanate can refer to a Tibetan-Buddhist as well as a Muslim dominion), which included Eastern Turkistan and parts of Central Asia, invaded Mongolia in CE 1694 with an eye to annexing it for his khanate. As Galdan pushed forward towards the Great Wall, the inhabitants there, the Khalkha Mongols (the Khalkha are the largest subgroup of Mongols and comprise the majority of present-day Outer Mongolia – indeed, their language is the Khalkha dialect), retreated into Inner Mongolia, seeking protection under the Chinese emperor.
In the meantime, the reigning Qing Dynasty emperor, Kangxi (CE 1661-1722), tricked Galdan into coming to a site near Beijing to sign a peace accord. As Galdan approached the designated rendezvous point with his army, not suspecting trickery, he was ambushed, and his army suffered major losses, though Galdan managed to escape. Emperor Kangxi then appealed to the leader of Xilituzhao Palace Temple for help in recruiting volunteers to pursue Galdan. Xilituzhao Palace Temple’s leader willingly obliged (he likened Galdan and his army to barbarians, which appeal naturally aroused feelings of patriotism), and a combined Chinese and Khalkhan Mongol force eventually completely routed the army of Galdan, though Galdan himself again managed to escape. Galdan’s lucky escape cost Galdan’s wife, who had aided him in this endeavor, her life. Galdan later “fell on his sword” in order to avoid imminent capture.
The unlucky Galdan was betrayed not only by strangers. While he was doing battle against the Mongolians, his cousin usurped his throne, although, had Galdan not been defeated by the combined treachery of Emperor Kangxi and the patriotism of the good Buddhists of Hohhot, he would surely – not unlike Richard the Lionheart – have regained his throne from his treacherous cousin.
Xilituzhao Palace Temple fared better – Emperor Kangxi gave the temple his blessings, and had a 15 meter high stupa, or dagoba (aka pagoda), in white marble erected beside the temple. It stands there still.

Back to the Present
Xilituzhao Palace Temple exhibits elements of both Tibetan and Han Chinese architectural styles. The Han Chinese influence is most evident in the overall layout of the temple compound, while the Tibetan influence is most obvious in the architectural style of the main building, the temple hall. Xilituzhao Palace Temple consists of a decorated archway, an entranceway, an Assembly Hall, and a monument. The Assembly Hall has a magnificent exterior with resplendent interiors. A monument inscribed in four different languages stands at the front of the hall, while fine paintings grace its walls, which are decorated with azure stones.

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