Brief information on Mongolian Folk Custom Garden  

Located 8 km south of Hohhot, next to the Zhaojun Tomb, the Mongolian Folk Custom Garden is an area dedicated to displays of Mongolian history, military culture, the lives of Mongol people (both royal and commoner) and their religions.

Genghis Khan is an important figure in Chinese and Mongolian History. In the west, he has been depicted as a barbarian warrior. However, in Mongolia he is remembered as the Emperor who united a warring country and gave the people an identity. The Mongolian Folk Custom Garden honors this much loved figure with the Genghis Khan Commemoration Hall where locals come to pay homage to a large sculpture of Genghis Khan. The Mongolian Khan Camp recreates a twelfth century military camp, displaying chariots, large canopied vehicles and a depiction of a Khan battalion. It aims to demonstrate the vigor of Mongolian troops in Genghis Khan’s era and the grand traditions of the time through daily reenactments of Genghis Khan’s coronation ceremony.

In Mongolia horses are used for transport, the mares are kept for milk, the long manes of Mongolian horses are used to make rope, they are slaughtered for meat and used for hunting, among a hundred different uses. The importance of Mongolian horses cannot be understated, and to help explain, the Mongolian Folk Custom Garden has built the Horse Cultural Museum, topped with a huge calligraphic Chinese character for ’’Horse’’. Inside the museum, a large exhibition hall presents displays covering the origins of the Mongolian horse, the relationship between Mongolian herdsmen and the place Mongolian horses have held in the history of this area, as well as a Movie Hall and various smaller exhibits. A racing field in the Park runs for over a kilometer, with a large grandstand for spectators. During the Nadam festival, traditionally a time for riding competitions, this area is particularly busy.

The Bai Yun Ta La is a garden exhibiting the traditional customs and styles of Mongolian people. Visitors can enjoy listening to Mongolian music, looking at displays of traditional handicrafts, or even receiving Mongolian hospitality since authentic Mongolian refreshments are offered to all guests. Typically Mongolian dishes on the menu include milky tea, stir-fried rice and milky bean curd. Mongolian Road runs for nearly a third of a kilometer through the park and is lined with 20 sculptures which represent the breadth and vitality of Mongolian Culture and the nomadic tradition.

The park also has a 4-star Khan Hotel where Mongolian wedding ceremonies and dances are staged daily, the Genghis Khan Square, the Mongolian Prince Mansion, a large Aobao (a huge pile of stones used as a location marker in ancient times but now more likely to be a place for worship and sacrifice), and an artificial lake, as well as many smaller attractions demonstrating Mongolian culture. Golf buggies are available for hire to aid visitor’s transport around the park.

*You can download the bilingual note to show it to a taxi driver or someone else to find your way to Mongolian Folk Custom Garden if you plan to visit Mongolian Folk Custom Garden and have language problems.

   

Hours: 8:00-18:00
Location: Zhaojun Road, Hohhot
Admission: CNY 20