Ulanhot overview 乌兰浩特

About Ulanhot

The May First Meeting Site preserves the modest brick hall associated with that event, while Genghis Khan Temple on Hanshan reflects a different strand of twentieth-century Mongol commemoration. Visiting both gives the city more depth than using it only as a transport stop. Begin with the meeting hall, then climb Hanshan for the temple's distinctive silhouette.

Ulanhot was originally named Wangye Temple (王爷庙), after Puhui Temple (普惠寺), a family temple built in 1691 by Eqi'er (鄂齐尔), the third-generation prince of the Khorchin Right-Wing Front Banner (科尔沁右翼前旗), also known as Zhasaketu Banner (札萨克图旗). The modern name comes from Mongolian, ulan meaning red and hot meaning city, so the city is sometimes called the 'Red City'. After the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Government was founded here on 1 May 1947, the city served as its capital until the government moved to Zhangjiakou in December 1949 and then, in June 1952, to Hohhot, which has remained the regional capital since.

The city lies in eastern Inner Mongolia on the southern foothills of the Greater Khingan Range (大兴安岭), within the Khorchin grassland. It borders Taonan (洮南市) in Jilin province to the south, Zhalaite Banner (扎赉特旗) to the east, and the Khorchin Right-Wing Front Banner to the west and north. The built-up area covers 23 square kilometers, with an urban population of 217,000. The terrain is hilly in the north and an alluvial plain in the south, at an average elevation of 263.6 meters, with a temperate continental monsoon climate and a frost-free period of 134 days.

What to look for

• The brick assembly hall at the May First Meeting Site.
• The domed Genghis Khan Temple on Hanshan above the northern city.

Location & getting there

Getting to Ulanhot

For this urban circuit, start at the May First Meeting Site on Wuyi North Road in Ulanhot.

• Continue by local transport to Hanshan Park on Xing'an North Road for the uphill temple visit.