Pick up [to be continued...]


The nights in Daihai are extremely refreshing, and Ulanqab is worthy of being a summer resort. It is very comfortable in the morning and evening. You don’t need to turn on the air conditioner, and it’s so pleasant to fall asleep with the crickets chirping. In the morning, I woke up with the birds calling, opened the curtains, and the warm sunshine came in, and a new journey began.


Today our plan is to visit the wind power station in the Huitengxile Grassland, and then go to the biggest highlight of this trip - the Gegentala Grassland Tourist Area. Let's go~! ~! ~!


【Huitengxile Grassland】


Huitengxile Mongolian means "cold mountain ridge", located in the south-central part of Chayouzhong Banner, Wumeng, at the northern foot of Yinshan Mountain. The grassland is dotted with 99 natural lakes, which not only have the vast and majestic style of the pastoral grassland, but also have the bright and delicate colors of the Jiangnan water town. Huitengxile Grassland is cold in winter and cool in summer. It has been a famous summer resort since ancient times.
In Huitengxile, you can ride horses, camels, archery, shoot, watch Mongolian wrestling performances, climb Obo Mountain, visit herdsmen’s houses, taste ethnic milk food and milk tea, eat hand-cooked meat, and drink kumiss ... In these rich and varied activities, you can feel the rough and natural Mongolian customs.
Huitengxile has an average altitude of 2,100 meters and a radius of 600 square kilometers. It is majestic, hilly and full of flowers. It is the prairie with the most unique landform and the most abundant landscape in China. It is the most beautiful flower prairie in Inner Mongolia. As the core experience area of ​​China's grassland summer resort, the city is one of the world's three major alpine meadows and flower grasslands, and it is also the Inner Mongolia prairie closest to the capital Beijing.
The environment and climate here are unique, with an average summer temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, a vegetation coverage rate of over 90%, and dozens of flowers. Due to the cool and pleasant midsummer here, many emperors including Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Tuobagui, the founding emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Wo Kuotai, the third son of Genghis Khan, and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty came here to escape the summer heat.

Huitengxile Grassland


We parked the car on the side of the road and rushed to the depths of the grassland in Huitengxile. The wind was very strong, and the tall windmills turned with the wind. It was very spectacular. We tasted the local Fengzhen mooncakes and mellow milk tea in Ulanqab

Huitengxile Grassland


The wind in the Huitengxile Grassland was really strong, and I returned to the car without taking a lot of pictures with the camera. I felt unsatisfactory, and continued to go to the Gegentala Grassland Tourist Area~!


【Gegentala Grassland Tourist Area】

Gegentala Grassland is located in Chaganbulige Sumu (Sumu Township), Siziwang Banner, Ulanqab City, about 150 kilometers away from Hohhot City. The grassland here has strong and charming characteristics. It has been an excellent natural pasture since ancient times and is a tourist attraction with Mongolian ethnic customs. At the end of July every year, the Naadam Grassland Tourism Festival will be held here, where tourists can watch Mongolian traditional ethnic activities such as horse racing, wrestling, and archery.
When tourists come here on weekdays, they can experience the nomadic life of the Mongolian people for themselves, ride a Mongolian horse on the grassland, or ride a steady camel to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the grassland on the camel's tall back. At night, you can participate in the bonfire party in the scenic spot, enjoy the folk dance of Mongolian girls, as well as thick kumiss and fragrant finger meat. These Mongolian delicacies will surely satisfy you.
Here you can also drop by the Prince’s Mansion in Siziwang Banner (now the office of Sumu Township). There are two front and rear halls in the mansion: the front hall is the prince’s administrative office, and the back hall is for the prince and Fujin to live in. There are also two separate tributes ( Hall), which used to be used by lamas to read scriptures. On the thirteenth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar every year, there will be a traditional Mongolian sacrifice to Obo held on the grassland. After driving for two hours, we finally arrived at Gegentala Grassland Tourist Area. After checking in at the hotel at the tourist center, the staff told us that there would be mini Naadam performances on the grassland, such as Humai, singing and dancing performances, so we went Bring the camera and can't wait to walk into the grassland.

Gegentala Grassland


Gegentala in August is in midsummer, with long green grass, flocks of cattle and sheep, the sky is quiet and vast, and large clouds are floating in the sky, as beautiful as in the oil painting

Gegentala Grassland

Gegentala Grassland

Gegentala Grassland This is the most primitive appearance of the grassland

Gegentala Grassland


Ulan flowers are blooming, kumiss is fragrant, the lake is clear, and the green grass is like felt. This is the battlefield where Wokuotai went to war. This is the hometown in the auspicious song of the three treasures. happy.

The Gegentala grassland is accompanied by Mongolian long tunes, and the melodious melody floats over the grassland

Gegentala Grassland


I always feel that Matouqin is a very magical instrument. As long as you close your eyes and listen to the sound of the strings of Matouqin, you will return to the grassland.

Gegentala Grassland


Mongolian men's Mongolian dance is as powerful as a rainbow

Gegentala Grassland


My favorite Mongolian Khoomei, I like Mongolian music very much. I always have a kind of plot about Khoomei, but I don’t have a natural voice, and I don’t know how to learn it.


【Gegentala Grassland Tourist Area】

There are about 120 hotel tent rooms in the Gegentala tourist area. In mid-August every year, the annual Naadam Conference will be held here. At that time, the supply of hotel rooms will be in short supply. Fortunately, we came to Gegentala this time. Come here before the Naadam Conference, otherwise you may be in the dilemma of having no place to live.


Look at the appearance of the Mongolian Tent Hotel. The appearance of the room looks like an authentic yurt. The interior is indeed designed and arranged according to the star hotel, which fully meets the rigid needs of tourists for accommodation.

Gegentala Grassland

Looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the yurt hotel room.

Gegentala Grassland

If you want to come to the Naadam Conference, you must book in advance, otherwise you can only drive back to the city, and the accommodation here is very limited.

Gegentala Grassland

Blue sky and white clouds, green grass cattle and sheep, yurts and herdsmen, this is what the grassland should look like

Gegentala Grassland

This is my room~

Gegentala Grassland

The room has a Mongolian-style solid wood bed and a carpet printed with Mongolian totems. Of course, you can also take a hot bath~

Gegentala Grassland

Opposite the yurt is the site of the Naadam Conference. The clear river flows through the meadow, and everything is natural.

Gegentala Grassland

The yurts in the distance are where the real herdsmen live

Gegentala Grassland

The Gegentala Grassland is full of insects, and there are too many frogs and insects to count. This shows how good the ecological environment here is.

Gegentala Grassland

Gegentala Grassland


With the afterglow of the setting sun, look forward to the bonfire party in the evening~ [Bonfire party] Gegentala Grassland Tourist Center has prepared a bonfire party for tourists. Tourists from all over the world gather here to watch Mongolian-style cultural performances, sing and dance, and have a good time~ !

Gegentala Grassland


Matouqin performing "Swan Goose" and "Ten Thousand Horses Galloping" at the bonfire party

Gegentala Grassland


"Mongolian Long Tune"

Gegentala Grassland


The Mongolian girls danced the Andai dance with graceful posture and graceful dance

Gegentala Grassland


Accompanied by the moving songs and dances and the fragrance of kumiss, I fell into a deep sleep and returned to the "paradise" in my dream.


【Taste Mongolian dairy products】


Today is the last day of the journey. After watching the beautiful grassland sunrise in the morning, we came to the largest yurt in the Gegentala tourist area to taste the authentic Mongolian grassland dairy products. The female manager of the tourist area personally cooked mellow for us Authentic milk tea.

Gegentala Grassland


brew milk tea

Gegentala Grassland


A hanging statue of Genghis Khan in a corner of the yurt

Gegentala Grassland


The circle on the top of the yurt is full of animal skins, such as tiger, leopard, wolf, and fox skins, and the tribal style instantly fills the yurt

Gegentala Grassland


On the seat of seat C sits a prairie eagle, majestic and majestic

Gegentala Grassland

Gegentala Grassland


On the ground, there is a bear skin and a stuffed wolf, which makes you shudder when you look at it suddenly

Gegentala Grassland

Gegentala Grassland


Barley, this is a kind of rice that I like to eat very much, the more you chew, the more fragrant it is

Gegentala Grassland


Milk tofu, before entering the mouth, you can smell the fragrance of milk

Gegentala Grassland


Milk skin, this can be soaked in milk tea with milk tofu and barley

Gegentala Grassland


This is milk dregs, a little hard, it is more suitable to eat as a snack

Gegentala Grassland

Gegentala Grassland


This is what it looks like after soaking. It feels the same as soaking fried dough sticks in soy milk. Elegant Hada, mellow milk tea, Mongolian friends welcome them with festive etiquette, grab a handful of milk dregs and throw them into their mouths. Grassland chews into the depths of memory.


After tasting all kinds of dairy products, we set off to sacrifice Obo. We went to a relatively famous big Obo about ten kilometers away from Gegentala Grassland Tourist Area.


【Festival of Obo】


Shoeing horseshoes,
The road becomes a sand field,
Aobao source of heaven and earth,
Havoc Prairie Wolf.


The Mongolian traditional custom of offering sacrifices to Obo began when there was a shaman ceremony. It is a kind of shaman ceremony. Obo is built with stones and branches are inserted on it. Hadas and prayer flags will be hung on it, and some cloth strips will have five animals with Mongolian ears: horses, cows, camels, goats, and sheep. Regarding Hada, we Mongolians generally use blue Hada, and Tibetans use white Hada. Blue symbolizes the supreme longevity (Tengri), and there will be platform-shaped stones with tribute offerings and incense burners around them. .


"China National Customs Volume Nine" says: "Obo is everywhere... Its shape is round, its top, and the Mongolian scripture flag with a cube corner, and above and below it is buried with a hada, five kinds of food, and silver. A sacrifice." Ruan Kuisheng's "Mongolian Jilin Fengtu Ji" says: "The stone is like a mountain mound, and the silk is hung for prayer, and the competition is planted with a wooden table, which is called "Obo". sacred place.


In ancient times, sacrificing Obo was always practiced by shamans. However, with the rise of Tibetan Buddhism, shamans and lamas will appear at the same time in Obo ceremonies in Mongolia.


The Mongols are most taboo to point a finger directly at the Obo, which is extremely impolite, and in the eyes of the Mongols, it is a great contempt and disrespect for the gods and Obo. In order to show respect, Mongolians use their entire palms up to show respect and our respect as human beings.
It is strictly forbidden for women to go up the Mongolian Obo, but they can turn clockwise three times under the Obo. Every time there is a large-scale Obo festival, it is really very effective, there will be rain, and there will be a rainbow in the sky. At this time, the Mongols will be more respectful and grateful to the gods in their hearts. They are grateful for the rain given by the gods, which makes the pastures grow more lush, and the cattle and sheep can eat fresher grass.

Gegentala Grassland


Before sacrificing Obo, take a photo with your zodiac sign

Gegentala Grassland


The Mongolian literal translation of Obo is "heap", but the real meaning and origin are inseparable from Shamanism. Aobao is the carrier of shamanism and the place of shamanism. Composed of stones, some have flagpoles, auspicious colored cloth strips and lucky flags at the top, symbolizing people's pious intentions. When the shaman priests "Bo" and "Leqin" do their rituals, they will do it next to Obo, and the people will automatically gather beside Obo to offer tribute, including wine, fruit, snacks, meat, cloth, etc., and the ceremony is over. Afterwards, the shamanist presider distributes it to everyone to enjoy the "Fu Guo". Worshiping Aobao means offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, ancestors, water and fire, etc., to pray for good weather, prosperity and safety of people and animals.


It is generally divided into family Obo, Gacha (village), Sumu (township) Obo, and banner (county) Obo. The largest Obo is on the Burhan Mountain in Mongolia. It is the Obo of Genghis Khan. Mongolia has a grand ceremony every year. In the Aobao ceremony, the president also attended the ceremony and worshiped in person.
There are many forms and positions of Obo. For example, there are Aobao on the side of the road, which is to pray for the smooth flow of the road; there is an Aobao by the lake, which is to pray for the long flow of holy water; Above what is protected, they vary in size but are equally majestic.


Anyone who has been to Mongolia knows that there are many Obos on their roadsides. Anyone who passes by, no matter what country they are from, will get off the car to worship, turn around the Obo three times clockwise, and add stones to it. There are also wine, mare's milk, milk and other food or anything that can represent your heart, and put them on the Obo piously and make a wish in your heart.


Since the location of Obo is usually very prominent and well-known in the local area, nomads will naturally think of using this as a coordinate when identifying the direction. When narrating, they will say which Obo is near, in front of which tree, and on the north side of which river. Wait, over time, Obo also has the function of a symbol, and the boundary posts between tribes or countries are marked by Obo. In Chinese literature, "Ebo" and "Ebao" are also written. On some maps of the Qing Dynasty, Aobao was marked as the national boundary. But this is the extended meaning of Obo later, and Obo in the original sense is the product of Shamanism.

Gegentala Grassland


This is the Obo we come to worship

Gegentala Grassland

Gegentala Grassland


This master is Mongolian, but he has taught himself Tibetan and Tibetan, and believes in Tibetan Buddhism. He will recite the "Peace Sutra" for us in a while.

Gegentala Grassland


Diamond Sutra to feel the Lama recite the Peace Sutra

Gegentala Grassland


Turn clockwise around Aobao three times to pray for the safety and happiness of family and friends.

Gegentala Grassland


Colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind

Gegentala Grassland

Gegentala Grassland


At this point, our short four-day trip to Ulanqab is over, and the laughter and laughter of the journey will remain in our memory deeply. I hope to drive with my friends to see Chahar Volcano next time~! Goodbye, beautiful Wulanchabu~!