county-level city
A county-level municipality (), county-level city or county city, formerly known as prefecture-controlled city (1949–1970: ; 1970–1983: ), is a Administrative divisions of China#County level (3rd), county-level administrative divi ...
which serves as the seat of government for the
Xilin Gol
Xilingol, Xilin Gol, Shiliin Gol or Xilinguole Aimag/League (; mn, , , , ) is one of 3 leagues of Inner Mongolia. The seat is Xilinhot, and the area is . The league's economy is based on mining and agriculture.
Xilingol borders Mongolia to th ...
league in
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
, People's Republic of China. It has a jurisdiction area of and a population of 245,886; 149,000 people live in the Xilinhot urban area.
lived in Xilinhot area. As a result, the local Mongols were called ''Abganar'', because ''Abgal'' in Mongolian means paternal uncle. When in the first half of the 17th century the Mongols submitted to the Manchu, the Abganar territories were divided into two
banners
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also ...
: Abganar-Tszoitsi (Abganar left wing) and Abganar-Yuitsi (Abganar right wing). These wings were commanded by men in the rank of princes beile. The Abgal () and Hotsit () tribes also lived in the area. Xinlihot was renamed Beizi Temple () after the
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
built the Beizi Temple in 1743. Today, the Beizi temple is one of the largest temples on the Xilin Gol grassland.
In 1914, Beizi Temple was included in the newly founded Chahar Special Administrative Region, which became the
Chahar Province
Chahar ( mn, , Чахар; ), also known as Chaha'er, Chakhar or Qahar, was a province of the Republic of China in existence from 1912 to 1936, mostly covering territory in what is part of Eastern Inner Mongolia. It was named after the Chahar ...
in 1928. Later it was included in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In 1953, the county was renamed Xilinhot, and then Abahanaer Banner in 1956. In 1983, it was approved for classification as a county-level city by the state council, and once more renamed Xilinhot.
Geography
The elevation of Xilinhot is approximately . The city is from
Beijing
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Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
and
Hohhot
Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the capital of Inner Mongolia in the north of the People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrative, economic and cultural center.''The Ne ...
(the capital of Inner Mongolia), respectively.
Climate
Xilinhot experiences a cold
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''BSk'') with long, very dry, and bitter winters and short, hot summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, with an annual mean temperature of . With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 59 percent in July to 73 percent in February, sunshine is abundant year-round. The city receives 2,970 hours of sunshine per year; due to the aridity, the
diurnal temperature variation
In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day.
Temperature lag
Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak d ...
frequently approaches and exceeds . Most of the of annual rainfall occurs in July and August.
Economy
The market of the area is centered in Xilinhot and cattle is of particular importance.
Culture and tourism
The historic center of Xilinhot contains an artistic temple.
The
Naadam
Naadam (Mongolian Naadam Festival) ( mn, Наадам, classical Mongolian: ''Naɣadum'', , ''literally "games"'') is a traditional festival celebrated in Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and Tuva Republic. The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurva ...
festival, a Mongolian feast, is celebrated every year. Naadam is a gathering of the Mongolian people that involves wrestling,
horse trading
Horse trading, in its literal sense, is the buying and selling of horses, also called "horse dealing". Due to the difficulties in evaluating the merits of a horse offered for sale, the sale of horses offered great opportunities for dishonesty, l ...
, costume contests, horse racing, etc. It's the Mongolian summer festival with festival attendees wearing colorful costumes. Colorful yurts are set up to serve food and trinkets and supplies.
Mongolian culture is prevalent in the city scene; tapestries and monumental statues of Genghis Khan adorn homes, shops, and street corners.
Tourists can stay at nearby yurt resorts, where there are large yurts for dining surrounded by smaller individual yurts for sleeping. The Xilinhot countryside is marked by rolling grasslands populated by Mongolians who keep horses, sheep, goats, and cows. Mongolian meals consist of mutton, beef, cabbage, and other fruits and vegetables.
Cuisine
The diet of the area is centered around the local dairy and meat production. Products regularly eaten by residents include horse milk yogurt, milk, tofu, milk skin, beef and mutton string, hand meat, and grilled lamb.
Transportation
Xilinhot Airport
Xilinhot Airport is an airport serving the city of Xilinhot in Inner Mongolia, China. It is located southwest from the city center. It has a single runway that is long and wide (class 4C).
Airlines and destinations