{"id":9149,"date":"2013-07-06T01:32:49","date_gmt":"2013-07-06T05:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=9149"},"modified":"2013-07-06T01:32:51","modified_gmt":"2013-07-06T05:32:51","slug":"inner-mongolia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/inner-mongolia\/","title":{"rendered":"Better Know an&#8230; Autonomous Region (Inner Mongolia)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For the past few months, we&#8217;ve been going all across China and getting to know this massive country better. So far, we have covered two municipalities and six provinces. In case you&#8217;ve missed any of it, here&#8217;s a quick rundown:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/better-know-a-municipality-part-one\/\">Beijing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/better-know-a-municipality-part-two\/\">Shanghai<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/better-know-a-province-part-one\/\">Sichuan<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/better-know-a-province-part-two\/\">Heilongjiang<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/better-know-a-province-part-three\/\">Gansu<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/better-know-a-province-part-four\/\">Zhejiang<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/better-know-a-province-shaanxi\/\">Shaanxi<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/yunnan-province\/\">Yunnan<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Today, we&#8217;re going to switch it up a bit and move on to cover one of China&#8217;s <strong>autonomous regions<\/strong> (\u81ea\u6cbb\u533a &#8211; z\u00ec zh\u00ec q\u016b), as we head to <strong>Inner Mongolia<\/strong> (\u5185\u8499\u53e4 &#8211; n\u00e8i m\u00e9ng g\u01d4).\u00a0 If you&#8217;re confused about the name,<em> Inner<\/em> Mongolia is actually a part of China, while <em>Outer<\/em> Mongolia is the actual country, which most people just simply call Mongolia.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"[Beautiful China 2009-01-10 720HD] Inner Mongolia\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ud3a3DS8HUI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>An introduction to Inner Mongolia from &#8220;Beautiful China.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>As you can imagine, this area has a complicated and interesting history.\u00a0 Back in the Zhou Dynasty (1046\u2013256 BC), the area that is now known as Inner Mongolia was split up between the western\/central section, where various nomadic peoples called home, and the eastern section, which was home to a Mongolic people called the <strong>Donghu<\/strong> (\u4e1c\u80e1 &#8211; d\u014dng h\u00fa &#8211; lit. &#8220;Eastern Barbarians&#8221;). In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang unified China and he incorporated an existing structure in this area into his Qin Dynasty Great Wall.\u00a0 Worried about the threat posed by various tribes such as the <strong>Xiongnu<\/strong> (\u5308\u5974 &#8211; xi\u014dng n\u00fa), the Emperor sent one of his top generals to defeat them and expand the empire. Over the coming centuries, this struggle between dynasties and tribes would continue, going up and down in balance of power.\u00a0 That is, until Genghis Khan came along.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9158\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/inner-mongolia\/mongol_empire_map\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9158\" aria-label=\"Mongol Empire Map\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9158\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9158\"  alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"196\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/07\/Mongol_Empire_map.gif\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9158\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mongol Empire<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In 1206, Genghis Khan finally managed to unite all of the Mongolian tribes and begin his Mongol Empire.\u00a0 He managed to conquer both the Xia and Jin Dynasties with his new found power.\u00a0 Fast forward to 1271, and his grandson Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty, and his summer capital was called Xanadu in the area that is now Inner Mongolia. Eventually, the Han Chinese led Ming Dynasty defeated the Yuan, and they rebuilt the Great Wall of China where it stands today, with much of it running along the southern border of Inner Mongolia.<\/p>\n<p>During the Manchu led Qing Dynasty, Mongolia was split into Outer and Inner regions, and increasing numbers of Han Chinese were illegally settling in the area.\u00a0 Mongolia gained its independence from the Qing in 1911.\u00a0 With the fall of imperial China at the end of the Qing, the Republic of China managed to quell Mongolian rebellions and have the princes of Mongolia officially recognize Inner Mongolia as part of China.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_9157\" style=\"width: 285px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/inner-mongolia\/innermongolia\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9157\" aria-label=\"Innermongolia\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9157\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9157\"  alt=\"\" width=\"275\" height=\"219\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/07\/innermongolia.jpg\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9157\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inner Mongolia on the map.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Inner Mongolia is massive, as it stretches across northern China from west to east.\u00a0 It&#8217;s 2,400 km from west to east, and 1,700 km from north to south.\u00a0 It&#8217;s the third largest area in China, taking up 12.8% of the country&#8217;s territory.\u00a0 Inner Mongolia shares a border with eight provincial-level divisions, as well as Mongolia and Russia.\u00a0 Most of Inner Mongolia is a plateau at over 1,000 meters above sea level.\u00a0 Here, you&#8217;ll find hills, plains, lakes, rivers, deserts, and of course, the famous <strong>grasslands<\/strong> (\u8349\u539f &#8211; c\u01ceo yu\u00e1n).\u00a0 The capital city of Inner Mongolia is <strong>Hohhot<\/strong> (\u547c\u548c\u6d69\u7279 &#8211; h\u016b h\u00e9 h\u00e0o t\u00e8).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9151\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/inner-mongolia\/dsc_0111\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9151\" aria-label=\"DSC 0111 300x200\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9151\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9151\"  alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/07\/DSC_0111-300x200.jpg\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9151\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunset on the Inner Mongolian desert.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Climate<\/h2>\n<p>Thanks to Mongolia&#8217;s strange shape on the map, the area features a wide variety of climates.\u00a0 That being said, most of it does see four distinct seasons.\u00a0 Winters here are long and bitter cold and often feature blizzards.\u00a0 Spring is nice and warm, but dangerous sandstorms that whip through make it not so pleasant.\u00a0 Summer here is short and hot, and most of the rainfall comes around this time.\u00a0 Fall is brief as well, and temperatures start to plummet early, dropping below zero in the north as early as October.<\/p>\n<h2>\nPopulation<\/h2>\n<p>As of the 2010 census, Inner Mongolia has a population of over 24 million, meaning it accounts for just 1.84% of Mainland China.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, a majority of the population are Han Chinese, at about 79%.\u00a0 That being said, there are a substantial number of Mongols living there, as they account for about 17% of the population.\u00a0 All in all, it&#8217;s said that forty-nine ethnic groups call Inner Mongolia home.<\/p>\n<h2>\nCulture<\/h2>\n<p>With such a diverse population coupled with the fact that Inner Mongolia stretches across such a vast area of China, it should come as no surprise that a variety of languages are spoken here.\u00a0 You&#8217;ll find different dialects of Chinese as well as Mongol, making it so that people from one part of Inner Mongolia can&#8217;t even understand people from another.\u00a0 By law, street signs come in both languages.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9154\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/inner-mongolia\/dsc_0192\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9154\" aria-label=\"DSC 0192 300x200\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9154\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9154\"  alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/07\/DSC_0192-300x200.jpg\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9154\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yurts out in the grasslands.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The grasslands are a symbolic part of the culture of Inner Mongolia, and they are often mentioned in songs and depicted in paintings.\u00a0 Mongols here still practice their traditional arts, and many of these can be enjoyed during the traditional festival of Nadam.\u00a0 This features the three traditional Mongolia sports &#8211; wrestling, horse-racing, and archery.\u00a0 Other aspects of the culture here include living in traditional <strong>yurts<\/strong> (\u8499\u53e4\u5305 &#8211; m\u00e9ng g\u01d4 b\u0101o) and eating plenty of <strong>lamb<\/strong> (\u7f8a\u8089 &#8211; y\u00e1ng r\u00f2u).\u00a0 Music is also very important here, such as traditional Mongol throat-singing and the interesting <strong>horse head violin<\/strong> (\u9a6c\u5934\u7434 &#8211; m\u01ce t\u00f3u q\u00edn).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9153\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/inner-mongolia\/dsc_0172\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9153\" aria-label=\"DSC 0172 300x200\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9153\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9153\"  alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/07\/DSC_0172-300x200.jpg\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9153\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A traditional feast in the yurt.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CNN    China&#039;s culture clash in Inner Mongolia -- Business 360 - CNN\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wv_jfOvulKQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>A cultural clash between Mongolians and Chinese about throat singing.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>\nFamous Places<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_9150\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/inner-mongolia\/dsc_0024-3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9150\" aria-label=\"DSC 0024 300x200\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9150\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9150\"  alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/07\/DSC_0024-300x200.jpg\"><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-9150\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Hohhot&#039;s many temples.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Of course, the most famous place to visit in Inner Mongolia are the aforementioned grasslands.\u00a0 Staying in a yurt, horseback riding, and singing songs around a fire fueled by cow&#8217;s dung is very popular amongst visitors, as is a a visit to the <strong>desert<\/strong> (\u6c99\u6f20 &#8211; sh\u0101 m\u00f2), where you can partake in sand-sledding or ride a camel.\u00a0 The capital city of Hohhot is also worth a visit, with its many temples and museums.\u00a0 In Ordos city, you&#8217;ll also find the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"595\" height=\"335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xwWbCpMv8RU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen title=\"Embedded video\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>A video from my 2010 trip to the grasslands and desert around Hohhot.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With its fascinating history, mix of cultures, charming grasslands, delicious food, and unique traditions, Inner Mongolia is definitely one of the most interesting places to visit in China.\u00a0 To be honest, the only reason we ended up on a trip there back in 2010 was because train tickets for our first eight choices were sold out.\u00a0 However, we had a great time wandering around Hohhot and exploring the desert and grasslands.\u00a0 It may not have been at the top of my travel itinerary back then, but after having gone, I&#8217;d advise you to move it to the top of yours.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"250\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2013\/07\/Mongol_Empire_map.gif\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image tmp-hide-img\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><p>For the past few months, we&#8217;ve been going all across China and getting to know this massive country better. So far, we have covered two municipalities and six provinces. In case you&#8217;ve missed any of it, here&#8217;s a quick rundown: Beijing Shanghai Sichuan Heilongjiang Gansu Zhejiang Shaanxi Yunnan Today, we&#8217;re going to switch it up&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/inner-mongolia\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":9158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[12731,173056,12732,11666,11667,272945,10653],"class_list":["post-9149","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-desert","tag-genghis-khan","tag-grasslands","tag-hohhot","tag-inner-mongolia","tag-nadam","tag-yurt"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9149"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9167,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9149\/revisions\/9167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}