Hohhot Things to Do

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It's not really packed with tourists- in fact we didn't see any- and it's not very big or really all that impressive. It is nice, within the grounds, and it's possible there's an entrance fee, but we weren't asked to pay anything and we went in the back anyway, not trying to avoid payment, just exploring the streets.

The Great Mosque in Hohhot is unique, in my mind. It is quiet pretty inside- but more like a mosque with Chinese flair than a Chinese style used as a mosque, if you will, kind of like Xi'An's Great Mosque)

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One of two major Lamaseries in Hohhot, Xilitu is the smaller, with a nicer "feel" to it. It's a beautiful place, peaceful, unless there happen to be ceremonies going on, in which it feels, possibly, more festive. I wrote about this and the Da Zhao Lamaserie in the Tourist Trap section, because they are designed in part for tourists, these days. But Xilitu is less touristy.

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See the "Xilitu Zhao Ceremonies" and the "Xilitu Zhao Images" travelogue for more images.

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Gegentala is the closest grassland from Hohhot, about 145 kilometers away or 2 hours drive by car. Once we past the highway, a winding main road spreads far into the grassland, passing beautiful rocky landscape appear to be untouched by man. Gorgeous gorgeous landscape that I've never encountered in China.

The scenery gradually changes from vast spread of colorful crops patches - the farmland of Inner Mongolia - to flat grassland with overlapping endless rolling hills in the backdrop.

It's sooo vast that makes me feel sooo small and insignificant. My first reaction was to inhale deeply as if trying to inhale the beauty around me. It's just so fascinating.

http://dhilicious.multiply.com/photos/album/275/Journey_into_the_grassland

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Weekends seem to be the best time to explore a bit more of the city - temple hopping, only this time, we were busy drooling over beautiful antiques down the antique street right behind the temple.

Antique hunting can be such a great fun. We found 4 piece of wooden scripting, just beautiful.

About 7 mnts drive from the hotel there's this Dazhao Temple, easily spotted from a distant thanks to its bursting colors of its walls and roofs. According to the guidebook, it was built in the 1580 and also known as the Infinite Temple.

The open worship halls are as always, packed with people, hot and sweaty.
But once we set foot in the chanting hall, we could feel the difference almost instantly - the room almost vibrates its own energy from many chantings day and night, high ceilinged with gigantic incense coil hung down from above, rows of worn out chanting mats, ceremonial trumpet, tingsha and ceremonial garbs.

http://dhilicious.multiply.com/photos/album/258/Exploring_Hohhot_-_part_1

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In early July 2007 when we arrived in Inner Mongolia, I remember passing by a construction of gigantic futuristic looking building on the way - and within a month it's already open for public.

I'm not really a museum person or ever interested to come and visit one. I prefer a cozy corner in a bookshop or somewhere less touristic. This time, we were caught in a storm - see those storm clouds in the backdrop. So we decided to kill some time looking around inside the museum.

I didn't know Inner and outer Mongolia are known to have unearthed many fossils of dinosaurs, rhinoceros and mammoths. I do now. They way the fossils are displayed with thorough details of their evolution chart and backdrop of their habitat are quite well done.

Cultural Agenda of Grassland Festival 2007
* July 26, 2007 at 20:30 *
New Village Performance at Sai Han District Government Square

* July 30, 2007 *
Grassland Culture Performance
Location: Palaestra of Inner Mongolia Teacher's University

* August 1 - 3, 2007 *
Art Exhibition at Inner Mongolia Art Gallery

* August 2, 2007 at 20:30 *
Opening ceremony of the 4th Grassland Festival
Venue at People's Palaestra of Hohhot

* August 2 - 11, 2007 *
Folk Custom Performance
Venue at Zhao Jun Museum

* August 2 - 13, 2007 *
Summer Evening Campaign
venue at Xin Hua Square

* August 2 - 15, 2007 *
Ru Yi River Musical Fountain Performance
Venue : Ru Yi River Bin He Park

* August 6, 2007 at 20:30 *
Official Opening of 7th Callan Festival
Venue : Inner Mongolia Palaestra

* August 10 - 11, 2007 *
Movie Concert
Venue at Palaestra of Inner Mongolia Teacher's University

* August 11 - 13, 2007 *
Photography Exhibition of Mr. Ren Zhi Ming
at Inner Mongolia Art Gallery

* August 29, 2007 at 20:00 *
Ma Tou Qin Concert (Inner Mongolia Musical Instrument)
Location Wu Lan Qia Te Theater

(**Still being updated)

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If you are at Hohhot, do stay over at the Xilamuren Grasslands (about 2 -3 hours drive from Hohhot city itself). The vast grasslands are great for horseriding and it's not expensive at all. About 100 yuan for 2 hours...I went in June...was told by the locals that Auguts would be beautiful as the grass would be flourishing at that time

Xiletu Zhao (also known as Xiao Zhao - 'small temple') is to be found close to Da Zhao and not far from Wutasi.
It's hard to get information about it. It was built in the Ming dynasty, and accoridng to Lonely Planet it burnt down and was rebuilt in the nineteenth century - but other sources just refer to expansion and repair at this time.
The fourth Dalai Lama studied at Xiletu Zhao, and its still an active religious centre - a Living Buddha can sometimes be spotted in the grounds. My Yuquan guidebook has a picture of the Living Buddha Zamasu presenting a 'hada' to Jiang Zemin.
The main hall (Da Dian) is Tibetan, otherwise the architectural style is Chinese.
Perhaps the most interesting feature's the stupa (photo).
The grounds are full of prayer flags; I found the waving colours soothing, as I did the general sense of quiet and seclusion.
Check out the shops: one of them had Buddhist wall hangings so cheap that it was hard to believe we weren't paying the Chinese price, although this is unlikely!