Hohhot 呼和浩特
—  Prefecture-level city  —
City of Hohhot · 呼和浩特市
Hohhot Central Square
Hohhot (red) in Inner Mongolia (orange) and China
Hohhot Location in Inner Mongolia
Coordinates: 40°49′N 111°39′E / 40.817°N 111.65°E / 40.817; 111.65
Country	People's Republic of China
Region	Inner Mongolia
County-level divisions	10
Township divisions	116
Established	1580
Government
• CPC Committee Secretary	Han Zhiran (韩志然)
• Mayor	Tang Aijun (汤爱军)
Area
• Prefecture-level city	17,224 km2 (6,650 sq mi)
• Urban	2,158 km2 (833 sq mi)
• Metro	2,158 km2 (833 sq mi)
Elevation	1,065 m (3,494 ft)
Population (2010 Census)
• Prefecture-level city	2,866,615
• Density	170/km2 (430/sq mi)
• Urban	1,980,774
• Urban density	920/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
• Metro	1,980,774
• Metro density	920/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Postal code	010000
Area code(s)	471
License plate prefixes	蒙A
GDP (2008)	CNY 131.6 billion
- per capita	CNY 51,016
Local Dialect	Jin: Hohhot dialect
Website	http://www.huhhot.gov.cn/en/index.asp

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Hohhot (Mongolian: , Chinese: 呼和浩特; pinyin: Hūhéhàotè, abbreviated Hū Shì (Chinese: 呼市); also romanized as Huhehot or Huhhot), is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre.

The city was founded by Mongol ruler Altan Khan in the late 16th century. It was chosen as the region's administrative centre in 1952, replacing Ulanhot. A city with a rich cultural background, Hohhot is known for its historical sites and temples and is one of the major tourist destinations of Inner Mongolia. It is also nationally known as the home of China's dairy giants Mengniu and Yili, and was declared "Dairy Capital of China" by the China Dairy Industry Association and the Dairy Association of China in 2005.

The name of the city in Mongolian means "Blue City." The color blue in Mongolian culture is associated with the sky, eternity and purity; in Chinese, the name can be translated as Qīng Chéng (Chinese: 青城), literally, "Blue/Green City."^[1]

History[link]

Hohhot was founded by Altan Khan around 1580. Altan Khan and his successors constructed temples and fortress in 1579, 1602 and 1727. The Tumed Mongols had long been semiagricultural there. Hui merchants gathered north of the gate of the city's fortress, building a mosque in 1693. Their descendants forms the nucleus of the modern Hui people's district.

The Qing Dynasty built a strong garrison town near Hohhot, supervising southwestern Inner Mongolia in 1735-39. In 1913, the government of the new Republic of China united the garrison town and Hohhot as Guisi. With the occupation of the Japanese Empire in 1937, the city was renamed Hohhot. After the World War II, Prince Demchugdongrub's autonomous government in Hohhot surrendered to the Republic of China.

Until 1954, Hohhot was referred to in Chinese as Guisui (歸綏 pinying: Guīsuī, Wade-Giles: Kweisui), which is the abbreviation of the two districts of the city:

• Guihua (歸化, arch. Kwei-hwa): Southeastern old section, business district, established by Altan Khan around 1580.
• Suiyuan (綏遠): Northeastern "New Town", government district. Established in the 17th century by the Manchus.

The two sections later became Guihua District (歸化縣) of the Qing Empire, renamed to Guisui County (歸綏縣) in 1913, and upgraded to a city in 1950. It was the capital of the now-defunct Suiyuan Province. In 1952, under Inner Mongolian chairman Ulanhu, the city became the capital of Inner Mongolia. Suiyuan was annexed to the Inner Mongolian autonomous region two years later.

The city has seen significant development since China's reform and opening began. The city's far east side began development around 2000 and is now home to an artificial lake called Ruyi He, a large number of condominiums, the municipal government, and most of the Autonomous Region's government buildings. The Hohhot City Stadium was built on the city's north side.

Culture and demographics[link]

According to the 2010 Census, the population of Hohhot reached 2,866,615; counting 428,717 inhabitants more than in 2000 (the average annual demographic growth for the period 2000-2010 was of 1.63%).^[2] Its built up area is home to 1,980,774 inhabitants (4 urban districts).

The majority of the population of Hohhot are Han Chinese, representing 87.16% of the total population in 2010. Most Han in Hohhot are descendants of people from Shanxi who have settled in the area over the past several decades, or those who have migrated from Northeastern China and Hebei province after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, supported by government initiatives at the time to promote the development of border regions. Having been integrated into mainstream urban society, most Mongolians in the city speak fluent Mandarin Chinese in addition to Mongolian. However, younger speakers are moving towards speaking Mandarin amongst themselves as well. A significant portion of the population is of mixed ethnic origin.^[3]

The majority of Hohhot residents can converse fluently in Mandarin, but there exists a linguistic divide between "old-town" folk (comprising today's Huimin District), with a large Muslim Hui minority, who tend to converse in raw Hohhot dialect, a branch of the Jin language from neighbouring Shanxi province. This spoken form can be difficult to understand for speakers of other Mandarin Chinese dialects. The newer residents, mostly concentrated in Xincheng and Saihan Districts, speak Hohhot-based Mandarin, the majority also with a noticeable accent and some unique vocabulary. (See Hohhot dialect for further details)

Due to its relatively diverse cultural make-up, and despite its characteristics as a mid-sized Chinese industrial city, the Hohhot street scene has no shortage of ethnic minority elements. Tongdao Road, a major street in the old town area, is decorated with Islamic and Mongol exterior designs on all its buildings. A series of government initiatives in recent years have emphasized Hohhot's identity with ethnic minority groups, especially in increasing Mongolian-themed architecture around the city. All street signs as well as public transportation announcements are regulated to be in both Chinese and Mongolian.

Food specialty in the area is mostly focused on Mongolian cuisine and dairy products. Commercially, Hohhot is known for being the base of nationally renowned dairy giants Yili and Mengniu. The Mongolian drink suutei tsai ("naicha" 奶茶 in Chinese, "milk tea" in English), which has become a typical breakfast selection for anyone living or visiting the city. The city also has rich traditions in the making of hot pot and shaomai. There is also a large selection of Korean and Muslim restaurants, in addition to cuisine from other regions of China.

Ethnic groups in Hohhot, 2000 census.

Subdivisions[link]

The city is administratively at the prefecture-level, meaning that it administers both its urban area and the rural regions in its vicinity. The administrative area includes 4 counties, 4 districts, and a county-level banner; they are further divided into 20 urban sub-districts, and 96 townships. The data here represented is in km² and uses data from 2010 Census.

Map	#	English Name	Simplified	Traditional	Pinyin	Area	Population	Density
	City Proper
	1	Huimin District	回民区	回民區	Huímín Qū	175	394,555	2,255
	2	Xincheng District	新城区	新城區	Xīnchéng Qū	700	567,255	810
	3	Yuquan District	玉泉区	玉泉區	Yùquán Qū	270	383,365	1,420
	4	Saihan District	赛罕区	賽罕區	Sàihǎn Qū	1,013	635,599	627
	Rural
	5	Togtoh County	托克托县	托克托縣	Tuōkètuō Xiàn	1,417	200,840	142
	6	Wuchuan County	武川县	武川縣	Wǔchuān Xiàn	4,885	108,726	22
	7	Horinger County	和林格尔县	和林格爾縣	Hélíngé'ěr Xiàn	3,401	169,856	50
	8	Qingshuihe County	清水河县	清水河縣	Qīngshuǐhé Xiàn	2,859	93,887	33
	9	Tumed Left Banner	土默特左旗	土默特左旗	Tǔmòtè Zuǒ Qí	2,712	312,532	115

Geography and climate[link]

Located in the south central part of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot is encircled by the Daqing Shan (大青山, lit. Great blue Mountains) to the north and the Hetao Plateau to the south. The city features a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), marked by long, cold and very dry winters, hot, somewhat humid summers, and strong winds, especially in spring. The coldest month is January, with a daily mean of −11.6 °C (11.1 °F), while the July, the hottest month, averages 22.6 °C (72.7 °F). The annual mean temperature is 6.73 °C (44.1 °F), and the annual precipitation is approximately 400 millimetres (15.7 in), with more than half of it falling in July and August alone. Hohhot is a popular destination for tourists during the summer months because of the nearby Zhaohe grasslands. More recently, due to desertification, the city sees sandstorms on almost an annual basis.

Transportation[link]

Genghis Khan Drive, on the North side of the city

The old town, now converted into an artifact shopping street

Hohhot lies on the Jingbao Railway from Beijing to Baotou, and is served by two railway stations: Hohhot Station and Hohhot East Station. Trains to Beijing link to destinations to the south and the northeast. The most prominent rail link with Beijing is the overnight K90 train, which has served the Hohhot-Beijing line since the 1980s and is referred to colloquially as the "9-0". Westbound trains go through Baotou and Lanzhou. There are also rail links to most major Inner Mongolian cities and to Ulaanbaatar. Because the quickest trip from Beijing takes around eight and a half hours despite the close distance of the cities, plans for high-speed rail has been discussed for years, and construction of the new high speed railway station began in 2008. The station was completed in 2011 and services 4 slow speed lines, with the high speed lines slated for opening sometime in 2013.

Hohhot's Baita International Airport (IATA:HET) is about 8km from the city centre by car. It has direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hong Kong etc., and to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Long distance buses connect Hohhot to outlying counties, the cities of Baotou, Wuhai, Ordos, and other areas in Inner Mongolia.

The city's public transit system is composed of nearly one hundred bus routes and a large fleet of taxicabs, which are normally green or blue. The bus fare is 1 yuan. The taxi fare begins at 6 yuan.

Muslim-themed Street in Hohhot

Hohhot's major north-south thoroughfares are called "Lu" and its east-west thoroughfares are called "Jie". This is roughly equivalent to dividing roads into "street" and "avenue" designation according to direction, a practice used in some North American cities. The largest elevated interchange is near the site of the city's Drum Tower, after which it is named. Several major streets are named after Inner Mongolian leagues; among these, Hulun Buir, Xilin Gol and Xing'an run north-south, while Ulan Chaab runs east-west.

An expressway built in 1997 links Hohhot with Baotou, then known as the Hubao Expressway. In recent years this expressway has been expanded eastwards to Ulaan Chab and Zhangjiakou, and onto Beijing as part of the Jingzang Expressway. The city is en route of China National Highway 110, which runs from Yinchuan to Beijing. China National Highway 209 begins in Hohhot and is southbound towards southern China, with its southern terminus in Guangxi. Hohhot is connected to its northern counties through the Huwu Highway, which was completed in 2006. Previously travel to the northern counties consisted of lengthy navigation through mountainous terrain.

Education[link]

The Hohhot Railway Station, c. 2008

Universities located in Hohhot include:

• Inner Mongolia University
• Inner Mongolia University of Agriculture
• Inner Mongolia Normal University
• Inner Mongolia University of Technology
• Inner Mongolia College of Medicine
• Inner Mongolia College of Finance and Economics
• Hohhot College of Education
• Hohhot College of Police
• Honder College of Inner Mongolia Normal University

High Schools located in Hohhot include:

• Hohhot No.2 Middle School
• Affiliated Middle School to Inner Mongolia Normal University

Artifacts[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

There are over 50 sets of murals in southeastern Hohhot, including a "Horse-tending Image" (牧馬圖). Over 50 pre-modern Buddhist temples and towers.

Landmarks[link]

The sculpture of "Milk Capital" symbol

Temple of the Five Pagodas in Hohhot

• Tomb of Wang Zhaojun: Located to about nine kilometers to the south of the center of Hohhot. It is said to be the resting place of Wang Zhaojun, a commoner woman from the Chinese Han Empire who married a Xiongnu king, Chanyu. .
• Temple of the Five Pagodas: Constructed in 1732^{[citation needed]} with architecture very similar to that of Indian temples. In its walls there are more than 1,500 figures of Buddha.
• Da Zhao Temple: A Buddhist monastery constructed in 1579, the oldest in the city.^[5]
• Inner Mongolia Museum: Main exhibits include dinosaur fossils, historical artifacts of nomadic peoples, and the cultural life of modern nomadic peoples.

Sister cities[link]

City	State	Country
Ulaanbaatar	Ulaanbaatar	Mongolia
Ulan Ude	Buryatia	Russia

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Media related to Hohhot at Wikimedia Commons

• Hohhot government website
• (English)Official website
• Hohhot travel guide from Wikitravel

v t e Provincial capitals of the People's Republic of China Changchun, Jilin Changsha, Hunan Chengdu, Sichuan Fuzhou, Fujian Guangzhou, Guangdong Guiyang, Guizhou Haikou, Hainan Hangzhou, Zhejiang Harbin, Heilongjiang Hefei, Anhui Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Jinan, Shandong Kunming, Yunnan Lanzhou, Gansu Lhasa, Tibet Nanchang, Jiangxi Nanjing, Jiangsu Nanning, Guangxi Shenyang, Liaoning Shijiazhuang, Hebei Taiyuan, Shanxi Ürümqi, Xinjiang Wuhan, Hubei Xi'an, Shaanxi Xining, Qinghai Yinchuan, Ningxia Zhengzhou, Henan

v t e Major cities along the Yellow River Provinces and Autonomous regions Cities (from upper reaches to lower reaches) Gansu Lanzhou · Baiyin Ningxia Zhongwei · Wuzhong · Yinchuan · Shizuishan Inner Mongolia Wuhai · Ordos · Bayan Nur · Baotou · Hohhot (boundaries of upper and middle reaches) Shanxi Xinzhou · Lüliang · Linfen · Yuncheng Shaanxi Yulin · Yan'an · Weinan Henan Sanmenxia · Luoyang · Jiyuan · Jiaozuo · Zhengzhou(boundaries of middle and lower reaches)  · Xinxiang · Kaifeng · Puyang Shandong Liaocheng · Tai'an · Jinan · Dezhou · Binzhou · Zibo · Dongying

Coordinates: 40°49′N 111°39′E / 40.817°N 111.65°E / 40.817; 111.65