Urban parks, with ecological, leisure and entertainment functions, play an essential role in the city’s ecosystem and everyday life.
In recent years, the City of Hohhot, of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has attached great importance to the construction of urban parks by designing them with distinguishing features, as a way to improve the living environment of the locals.
Princess Mansion Park
Princess Mansion Park visitors enjoy the peach blossoming during spring. [Image Credit: chinanews.com]The Qing Princess Mansion Park, northwest of Hohhot Railway Station, is a public museum commemorating the more fascinating and intriguing aspects of Princess Kejing (恪靖公主): the sixth daughter of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty. Princess Kejing took up residence here shortly after marrying into the Tuxietu Tribe of Khalkha Mongol.
Apart from being recognized as a symbol of national unity, the park is also a site of commemoration where a total of 367 peach trees have been planted as a show of respect to the 367 fallen soldiers of the War of Resistance against Japan. When the Qingming Festival approaches, peach flowers spring into full blossom and create a majestic landscape, attracting tourists far and wide.
Genghis Khan Park
Located in the northeastern corner of Hohhot New City, the Genghis Khan Park serves as both a public park and a site of history and education. Bits of Genghis Khan’s eventful and unusual life story are channeled through all different aspects of the park. With a total area of 560,000 square meters, the park is divided into northern and southern areas.
The bronze statue of Genghis Khan rests at the front gate of the Genghis Khan Park. [Image Credit: people.com.cn]The park used to be a sand mining field, and was laterchanged into an eastern outskirts waste yard. But after a few years of scenic transformation, the site has been converted into a classic Chinese garden. The park makes full use of its terrain and creates a diverse landscape that incorporates waterfalls, cliffs, valleys, slopes, underground caves as well as various species of lush plants.
Grassland Silk Road Theme Park
The picturesque scenery of the Grassland Silk Road Theme Park. [Image Credit: hhhtnews.com]Situated to the north of Xinhua Street and to the south of Binhe North Road, the Grassland Silk Road Theme Park is one of the key construction projects of Hohhot City Landscaping in 2016.
Underpinning China’s Belt and Road Initiatives, the park features a grassland silk road and showcases Mongolian ethnic culture. It is the park’s intention to restore what Hohhot City looked like during the age of China’s feudal dynasties by creating five major scenic areas: Prosperous Qingcheng, Mongolian flourishing age in Yuan Dynasty, wonderful scenery of Kukuhe County, Long Song of flourishing dynasty and stories within the cloud. It has now become an ideal place for weekend family trips.
