Hohhot History

Hohhot has a long history of more than 2000 years, but the establishment of Hohhot city can be traced back only to 400 years. The ancient nomad tribe in Hohhot was found to have lived in the region early in the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Warring States Period, the Zhao State built the Great Wall at the foot of Yin Mountain and established Yunzhong Shire, which is located at the present Tuoketuo County, southwest of Hohhot. It is believed that the ancient city at Tuoketuo was the beginning of the emergence of Hohhot.

After Hohhot was recaptured from the Huns, many military fortresses were built in the Western Han Dynasty. The city of that time can still be found in Tabutuo Village, east of Hohhot. From that time to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Hohhot was known as Shengle. It was the early capital of the Tuoba Tribe, which rose in North China during that period.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was included within the scope of Turks. It came under the Liao Dynasty in the early years of the 10th Century. During the early Ming Dynasty, the Tumed Tribe from Mongolia moved in and built a lot of houses with the intention of ending their nomadic life. They followed a rather peaceful policy with the Ming Dynasty. However, the city named Guihua built by the Tumed was burnt down by the Qing army. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the Qing Court defeated the Mongolian Tribe and an outer city called Suiyuan was built to the northeast of the old city.

In 1928, Suiyuan was established as a province and renamed into Hohhot City. In 1954 it came under the jurisdiction of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.