Saihan District 赛罕区

Setting and landscape

The district government places the Daqing Mountains and the open Chile Plain (敕勒川) to the north, and two rivers, the Dahei and the Xiaohei (小黑河), in the south. The district government describes the climate as free of both severe cold in winter and extreme heat in summer, with a mean annual temperature of 8.4°C.

History

The area was governed as Hohhot's suburban district from 1956. After a boundary reorganisation it was renamed Saihan in 2000, keeping most of the old suburbs and taking in two street offices, Renmin Road and University West Road, from Xincheng District (新城区). Long before that, the Liao dynasty founded the town of Fengzhou (丰州) here; its ruins are a national protected site, and only its White Pagoda still stands.

What to see

The Wanbu Huayan Sutra Pagoda (万部华严经塔), in Baita Village (白塔村), is known as the White Pagoda because its walls were once coated white. The octagonal, seven-storey brick tower dates from the Liao dynasty; war at the end of the Yuan dynasty wrecked its top, and a repair that began in 1978 restored it to 56 metres. Inside, a stair climbs all seven storeys past visitors' inscriptions from 1172 onwards in Chinese, Mongolian, Khitan, Tangut, Jurchen and 'Phags-pa scripts. It was listed as a national key protected site in 1982.

The Inner Mongolia Museum (内蒙古博物院), founded in 1957 and renamed in 2007, works as both a history and a natural history museum; its collection of more than 150,000 items ranges from fossils to historical relics and ethnic folk objects. Its new building in the district holds ten themed displays built around a general history exhibition, 'Forging the Northern Frontier' (融铸北疆).

Getting oriented

Hohhot Baita Airport (白塔机场) and Hohhot East railway station are in the district. The Beijing–Baotou railway and the Hohhot–Zhangjiakou high-speed line cross it, Metro Line 1 runs along Xinhua East Street (新华东街) and Line 2 starts at its southern end. The district government puts Beijing 460 kilometres to the east and Baotou (包头) 150 kilometres to the west.

Highlights

• Wanbu Huayan Sutra Pagoda (White Pagoda) 万部华严经塔: Liao-dynasty brick pagoda of the Fengzhou town site, restored to 56 m; national key protected site since 1982.
• Fengzhou town ruins 丰州故城遗址: Liao-dynasty walled town, listed in the eighth batch of national protected sites.
• Inner Mongolia Museum 内蒙古博物院: History and natural history museum founded in 1957, with more than 150,000 items.