In Mongolian hohhot means “green city.” The Xiongnus (Huns), the Xianpeis, the Tujues, and other minority nationalities of ancient China lived here in compact communities, giving the city a rich heritage of national cultures. It is now a major textile center. Other industries in which great progress has been made include leather, sugar, machine making, steel, and animal-product processing.

Zhaojun Tomb

Zhaojun Tomb is located on the southern bank of the Dahei River, nine kilometers south of the city of Hohhot. Viewed from afar, the surface of the tomb appears to be dark green. It is therefore called the “green tomb.”

Wang Zhaojun was a maid of honor in an imperial palace of the Han Dynasty. In 33 B.C. Huhanxie Chanyu, chief of the Xiongnus, proposed ties of amity with the Han court through marriage. When Zhaojun married Huhanxie, she brought with her the rich culture of the Central China Plain to the Xiongnu people in the north.

Zhaojun Tomb is similar to the imperial tombs of the Han Dynasty that were built in the central plain of the kingdom. There are pavilions around the tomb in which visitors can rest. Cultural relics commemorating Zhaojun are on display in an exhibition room nearby.

Dazhao Temple

Dazhao Temple is located in the old city of Hohhot. Built in 1580 and expanded in the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the temple consists of a number of halls and a nine-room building; it contains many precious relics, including silver Buddhist statues and lions cast in iron.

Hohhot Hotel