Inner Mongolia (内蒙古) · 5 places · 4 cities
5 places in Inner Mongolia, grouped by city. Under each one are two figures from the survey: how much daily life still goes on there, out of 100, and how far it has been turned over to visitors, out of 6.
Most common here: Old quarter of a city (2), Historic street (1), Old town (1). See all provinces, or the background on old towns.
2 places
Hulunbuir (呼伦贝尔)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Shiwei Russian Ethnic Township (室韦俄罗斯族乡)A fairy-tale border town on the Argun River where 90% of residents are Chinese-Russian descendants, they speak fluent Dongbei dialect, bake Russian bread (lieba), brew kvass, and live in colorful log cabins (mukeleng).Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · some effort to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Manzhouli (满洲里)A trading town on the corner where China, Russia and Mongolia meet, and it functions as one: Russian and Mongolian restaurants, the border gate, and residents doing their shopping in the morning.Lived-in 65/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · some effort to reach | Walled city | Thin on both |
1 place
Baotou (包头)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Baotou Beiliang (包头北梁)Partly rebuilt, partly still lived in, with a Hui quarter that functions as an ordinary neighbourhood. Halal restaurants throughout.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Hohhot (呼和浩特)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Dazhao & Saishang Old Street (呼和浩特大召-塞上老街)The old Guihua city, a 400-year-old Mongolian-Han-Muslim trading street on the Tea Horse Road, where locals still shop at wet markets, pray at Dazhao Temple, and prices are the same as ordinary neighborhoods.Lived-in 80/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Xilingol (锡林郭勒)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Duolun Nur (多伦诺尔)A former Qing dynasty Buddhist capital on the Mongolian grassland, with the remains of the massive Huizong Temple (1691, built after the Kangxi Emperor’s Dolon Nor Assembly), old Hui neighborhoods, and a slower pace of Inner Mongolian life.Lived-in 75/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
Which of These Is Still a Town
The two scores narrow the list, and the last step is local: which lanes are worth the walk, which day of the week the place is itself, and where to stay inside the walls. Tell our local team the provinces you will be in and they will say which of these hold up.