Pearl of the ancient grasslands Silk Road

Laoniu Bay along the Yellow River. A national-level geological park has been built there.[Photo/IC]

Hohhot is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization and it has a recorded history of some 2,500 years. It was called Yunzhong in the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), Shengyue Ancient town in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD386-534), and Fengcheng town in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125).

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The city gained the name Hohhot during the sixth year of the Longqing reign (1572) during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and began to develop its trade with Mongolia.

In 1739, during the Qianlong's reign in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the government constructed the city further and boosted trade with Mongolia. It became a key commercial city and an important commodities hub.

Culturally, Hohhot is the frontier for herding and farming and the two cultures are mingled together. It is not only situated in a pristine and endless, windy land for herding sheep and cattle, as mentioned in the renowned Chinese poem Shulege, but is also the origin for Emperor Zhao Wuling (307 BC)'s Hufu Qishe, or the policy of adopting the Hu tribe's clothing and learning their cavalry archery skills, as this is the period when the Chinese forces began to make the transition from chariots to cavalry.

Hohhot was also the destination for Lady Zhaojun, when she was sent beyond the Great Wall as a bride (33 BC).

It was a hub for the ancient trade in silk and tea, and was an important cultural center with a thriving Zhaomiao temple culture, a unique Buddhist temple style, and was home to many ethnic groups, whose cultures evolved, took shape, mingled, and now celebrate their harmonies there, forming the rich and unique grasslands cultures. So we can see that Hohhot played a very important role in the grasslands Silk Road.