Hohhot, abbreviated Hushi, formerly known as Kweisui, serving as the region’s administrative, economic, and cultural centre. Its population was 2,866,615 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,980,774 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made up of 4 urban districts. The name of the city in Mongolian means “Blue City”—Kuku-Khoto in Mongolian—although it is also wrongly referred to as the “Green City.” The color blue in Mongol culture is associated with the sky, eternity and purity; in Chinese, the name can be translated as Qing Cheng, literally, “Blue/Green City.”
Economy
Hohhot is a major industrial center within Inner Mongolia. Hohhot, together with Baotou and Ordos, account for more than 60 percent of the total industrial output of Inner Mongolia. After Baotou and Ordos, Hohhot is the third-largest economy of the province, with GDP of CNY 247.56 billion in 2012, up 11.0 percent year on year. Hohhot accounted for approximately 15.5 percent of the province’s total GDP in 2012. Hohhot is also the largest consumer center in the region, recording CNY102.2 billion retail sales of consumer goods in 2012, an increase of 14.9 percent from 2011. Huhhot has been a central developmental target for the China Western Development project that the Central Government is pursuing. There are many famous enterprises located in Hohhot, including China’s biggest dairy producer by sales revenue Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group and China Mengniu Dairy Co.
As the economic center in Inner Mongolia, Huhhot has expanded its urban area since the 1990s. The CBDs in the city increased rapidly all around the major districts. The completion of the new office tower for Huhhot Municipal Government in Eastern Huhhot region marked a shift of the city center to the east. Hailiang Plaza, a 41-floor tower constructed in the city center, became one of the few notable department stores for luxury merchandise in the city.
Culture
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 Mongol-themed architecture around the city. All street signs as well as public transportation announcements are regulated to be in both Chinese and Mongolian.
Cuisine
Food specialty in the area is mostly focused on Mongol cuisine and dairy products. Commercially, Hohhot is known for being the base of nationally renowned dairy giants Yili and Mengniu. The Mongol drink suutei tsai (“naicha” 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, a type of traditional Chinese dumpling served as dim sum.
Transport
Hohhot’s Baita International Airport is about 14.3 km (8.9 mi) eastwards from the city centre by car. It has direct flights to larger domestic cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, etc. It also has international flights to Taichung, Hong Kong, and to Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Hohhot lies on the Jingbao Railway from Beijing to Baotou, and is served by two railway stations: Hohhot Railway Station and Hohhot East Railway Station. The line began operation since 1921. 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 Ulan Bator, Mongolia. 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 Jining and Zhangjiakou, and onto Beijing as part of the G6 Beijing–Lhasa Expressway (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. Long distance buses connect Hohhot to outlying counties, the cities of Baotou, Wuhai, Ordos, and other areas in Inner Mongolia.
Climate
Hohhot features a cold semi-arid climate, marked by long, cold and very dry winters, hot, somewhat humid summers, strong winds (especially in spring) and monsoonal influence. 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 398 millimetres (15.7 in), with more than half of it falling in July and August alone. Variability can be very high, however: in 1965 Hohhot recorded as little as 155.1 mm (6.11 in) but six years before than, as much as 929.2 mm (36.58 in), including 338.6 mm (13.33 in) in July of that year. 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. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 58 percent in July to 71 percent in October, sunshine is abundant year-round, the city receives 2,862 hours of bright sunshine annually.
Population: 3 million
Temperature: average 6.73 °C (44.11 °F)
