Yuanshangdu by Tom Carter

iv>lake, and the Hulunbuir grasslands (now blanketed in
While the name Xanadu invokes an air of mystery,snow), it comes as a pleasant shock to discover that
there is in fact no “snow-white mares with sacredthe busiest land port of entry in the mainland is
milk, rich and beautiful meadows” as observed bylocated here in the far reaches of Inner Mongolia. The
Marco Polo, nor Samuel Taylor Coleridge’sManzhouli crossroads, situated directly on the borders
“stately pleasure dome.”of China, Mongolia and Russia and the Trans-Siberian
Yuanshangdu by Tom CarterRailway, is a fascinating fusion of northeastern
In the summer it is a scalding expanse of desert, incultures.
the spring verdant grassland; but in the winter, InnerShops, hotels and restaurants are of distinct Russian
Mongolia is a white kingdom few travelers, beyongpersonality and advertise in both Chinese and Russian
the occasional Mongol nomad, brave to enter.script while the streets teem with rugged
Indeed, the traditionally nomadic lifestyle of theimport-exporters and big blonde Russian tourists
native Mongolian reflects the region’sextravagantly attired in plush fur coats, pelt scarves
unforgiving climate. To quote the usually intrepidand omnipresent ushanka hats.
Lonely Planet guidebook chapter on Inner Mongolia,But the final and most remote destination comes
“…from December to March — forgetduring the return trip south through tundra as vast as
it!”Occupying 12% of China’s landmass in athe sky above, the snowscape spotted with resilient
majestic arching slope of over one million kilometers,brush, wind-swept fences and adobe villages of
Inner Mongolia borders 8 other Chinese provinces inice-glazed rooftops until…Xanadu, Kublai
addition to the colossal countries of Mongolia andKhan’s summer palace.
Russia to the north.While the name Xanadu invokes an air of mystery to
Today, Mongolians make up only 17% of thethose who have never been, there is in fact no
provincial population. And while leather-skinned“snow-white mares with sacred milk, rich and
warriors on armored horseback may no longer posebeautiful meadows” as observed by Marco Polo,
a threat to the Chinese, the mainland is now seeing anor Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s oft-cited
second Mongolian invasion, this time in the form of“stately pleasure dome.”
sand.Xanadu, otherwise known as Yuanshangdu, today is
The vast Gobi Desert, which already consumes Innerless an eternal world than a set of dilapidated stone
Mongolia’s northwestern border, is dramaticallywalls and towers buried in centuries of dirt and
expanding at a rate of 10,000 square kilometers perweeds, leaving the fantasies of a romantic Mongolian
year and is calculated to turn 40% of thecity to be written by the opium-addled. China’s
People’s Republic into a veritable wasteland,tourism bureau has all but deserted the ancient area
evinced by the apocalyptic sandstorms from thefor (literally) greener pastures, and, according to
north that assault Beijing during the summerlocals, it is a rare day when even one visitor can be
monthsBut vacationers to Inner Mongolia (Nei Menggufound walking the venerable grounds during the
in Putonghua) need not concern themselves withwinter months.
such things as environmental catastrophes, for inBut the sheer desolation of Xanadu is exactly its
winter the gold sands of the Gobi slowly give way toattraction. Walking among 11th-century ruins mantled
white as frost slowly veils first the north and thenin dazzling whiteness, one is left completely alone to
the entire province.enjoy an untouched history and uncorrupted serenity
Arriving in the Inner Mongolian capital of Hohhotthat is otherwise not found in today’s China.
(pronounced Ho huh ha ta), one finds that it truly is aIn the immortal words of disco queen Olivia Newton
“Blue City,” as its Mongolian name implies, butJohn, “Now we are in Xanadu!”Tom Carter, a
with a comparatively modern ambiance nonetheless.freelance writer and photographer from San
The urban skyline falls behind the horizon as ourFrancisco, has lived in P.R.
journey via steam train progresses across the frozenChina the past two and a half years. He is currently
plateau to the more rustic northeast. Followingbackpacking through all 32 Chinese provinces.
electrical lines from village to village, the train’sGetting thereDaily flights from Hong Kong to Hohhot
ice-trimmed windows reveal an otherwise barren(connecting in Beijing), via Air China, Cathay Pacific
countryside dotted with red brick homes stackedand Dragon Air, 6 hours, 7000 HKD, round trip.
with chimneys continuously exhaling their coal smoke.Daily trains from Hong Kong to Beijing, 24 hours, 800
This is the pastoral life of Mongolian miners, farmersHKD. From Beijing to Hohhot, 12 hours, 300 HKDTo
and shepherds hibernating for the winter, nary a solereach the bordertown of Manzhouli, daily trains from
outside save the occasional caravan of camels ledHohhot to Hailaer, approx 40 hours, 270 HKD for a
through the snowy waste by men as furry andsleeper. From Halaer to Manzhouli, via shuttle bus or
indistinguishable as their charge.express train, 3 hours.
The flatlands give way to hills of white birch andThere are no official tours or direct routes to Xanadu.
sinuous rivers of blue ice. Veering north, the trainFrom Hohhot or Hailaer, get off at Sangandali, and
then burrows into the Greater Khingan mountainthen take a shuttle bus to Zhenglanqi (simply called
range, which forms a natural provincial borderLanqi by the locals). From Lanqi, a private taxi can be
separating Inner Mongolia from the plains ofretained for approx. 100 HKD for a round trip to
Manchuria to the east.Yuanshangdu, 30 minutes away.
Passing frozen Hulan Hu, China’s fifth largest