Hohhot is a small town by Chinese standards (only about 2 million people) in the north of the country, the capital of the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia.
Everyone argues how its name is translated from the Mongolian: it would be more correct to "blue city" or "blue city", but it is more often called "green". The Chinese changed the name according to their habit, and in translation it turns out "a place where the whistle of the wind is not heard."
Theatrical costumes and cartridges are produced here, there is a government, a theater and a museum. And in the national system of theatrical, exhibition, concert and other cultural events, the city of Hohhot is absent.
Due to a number of its attractions, Hohhot is considered a major Buddhist center. The most famous of them are Da Zhao Monastery and Five Pagoda Temple. The old city was built in the 16th century, now it has turned into a shopping street where you can buy all sorts of antiques and handicrafts of local craftsmen.
In addition, the city has the unofficial title of "Chinese Dairy Capital" as the headquarters of Chinese dairy giants Mengniu and Yili are located here. When people talk about Hohhot, they usually praise its cuisine, which has features of both Chinese and Mongolian. Here, for example, lamb and suutei tsai (salty Mongolian tea with milk) are popular. I will say right away, the kitchen is an amateur.
01. I leave early in the morning from Beijing. Hohhot is 450 km away. All Chinese cities are connected by high-speed highways, these are 120,000 km of high-speed new roads. At some point, the Chinese had nothing to build, because more roads were no longer needed. So that millions of workers and equipment do not stand idle, they went to build roads to neighboring countries. For example, the New Silk Road project was created, which involves the development of infrastructure in other countries. Of course, infrastructure is needed where it is beneficial for the Chinese.
02. It's nice that many signs are duplicated in English. Everything is immediately clear.
03. On the morning of May 1, all the Chinese started looking at the Great Wall of China. Because of this, hellish traffic jams formed on the roads, in which I spent several hours. The policeman got tired of looking at the traffic jam and fell asleep.
04. Wall. By the way, we say "Chinese" here, meaning all the inhabitants of China. But not everything is so simple. "Chinese" is like our "Russians". In their case, this is the designation of the titular Han nationality, and there are 56 nationalities in China in total. So it is more correct to say, for example, "citizens of the PRC", as we have "Russians". Well, this is so, a small nuance.
06. Everything is deaf on the main road.
07. It is not clear why, but the Chinese constantly relieve small need. Wherever you look, everywhere there will be a pissing Chinese. Especially on the tracks. Children so in general under each bush crap.
08. The roads are good, you can safely go 160.
09. Good and paid.
10. By the way, in China there is no concept of "self-defense". So if you decide to fight with the Chinese, then keep in mind that the one who inflicts more damage on the enemy will be to blame.
11. Damage in Kita is generally a problem. Let's say you are driving a car and hit a pedestrian or a cyclist. Even if you didn’t cause any serious harm to the victim’s health, relatives will definitely come, the victim of the incident will be taken to the hospital, where doctors will write out a huge bill for treatment, which you will have to pay.
There were cases when a driver, having knocked down a pedestrian and seeing that he had caused serious harm to him, decided to finish off the unfortunate person. Indeed, in the event of death, the punishment could not be as severe as in the case of a showdown with relatives and payment of compensation for treatment. Judge for yourself, for a pedestrian who was hit to death, you can spend a year in prison. And if the pedestrian survived, but lost the opportunity to work, you will support his family all his life and pay for expensive treatment.
12. American business model. Bill is driving along the highway, sees a good place and decides to open a gas station there. After some time, John drives along this highway, sees that Bill's gas station is doing well and decides to open a cafe nearby. After some time, Sam drives by, sees that Billy and Johnny's business is going uphill, there are many clients, and decides to build a motel on this place.
Chinese business model. Can is driving along the highway, sees a good place and decides to open a gas station there. After some time, Van passes along this highway, sees that Can’s gas station is doing well, and decides to open another gas station nearby. Soon Lee notices this "fishy" place and also puts a gas station nearby.
13. I have not seen such car carriers before.
14. High-speed railways are built on high overpasses.
15. Entry to Hohhot.
16. Beautiful town.
17.
18. The city is built up mainly with panel 6-storey buildings.
19. And skyscrapers.
20. The city even has a Muslim quarter and a mosque! In China, Islam is practiced by the Hui people. In fact, the Chinese pronounce this word simply as "dick", but in Russian they delicately added the letter "E" so as not to offend anyone. The situation is similar with the Chinese name "Hui". In Russian, this name will also be written as "Hui".
21. New districts...
22. There are also many ridiculous monuments in Hohhot. Here, for example, is a drug addict horse. This is a monument to the fact that the city of Hohhot is a major center of tourism.
23. There are a lot of horses here, after all, inner Mongolia;)
24. Giant Museum.
25. Traditional Chinese architecture.
26. Lair of the Communist Party.
27.
28. In the Center, old slums are being demolished and new ones are being built. The same traditional houses, only better, as the Chinese think. On the right - a remake, on the left - the last remaining old house in the area, the owner of which does not want to leave.
29. To smoke out the intractable owner, a dump was organized around his house.
30. In the center they made a huge block with shops in the "Chinese style".
31. It turned out relatively well.
32. You can buy a monument. I think he can make a gift for the head of Mari El? Let a beautiful horse stand in Yoshkar-Ola.
33. A man smokes a pipe and a cigarette at the same time.
34. A special place for the explosion of firecrackers.
35.
36. Local people are kind and open.
37. What else can I tell you interesting about China? Our compliments don't always work here. For example, in China, old age is a compliment. And vice versa, to tell a person that he looks young means to insult him: they say, young, stupid, inexperienced. If you want to please a Chinese, tell him that he is not like everyone else. To stand out from the crowd, to be different from the rest is a great happiness for the Chinese.
38. Local fast food.
39. They sell deerskin everywhere!
40.
41.
42.
43. There is a bike rental in the city. By the way, what's all the fuss about the Moscow bike rental?
44. Newfangled Chinese plastic hatches. Be careful!
45. Roads like in Makhachkala.
46. Sports ground.
47. Rhino machine.
48. In the Chinese province, sidewalks are completely disrespectful. Even in Russia there is no such mess.
49.
51. In the evening I went to a Mongolian restaurant. Mongolian cuisine, of course, is not for everyone. Tea with lard is still all right, but all the main dishes from the internal organs of animals are too much for me. The head of a cow costs 8,000 rubles. They say the eyes are the tastiest.
52. Kitchen.
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Hohhot (Hohhot)- a city in northern China, the administrative center of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the economic and cultural center of the region.
Hohhot is the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
There are few historical and tourist sites in the city.
Attractions
dazhao temple(Dazhao) is a major center of Tibetan Buddhism. Around this temple, the ancient Hohhot arose. The whole ensemble stretched from south to north and consists of the main gate, the palace of the Heavenly King, the Hall of Insight, the Hall of the Canons, the Hall of the Buddha, the building of nine rooms and the eastern and western side buildings. Currently, Dazhao is the largest and best preserved temple of wooden construction in Hohhot.
Monastery of the Five Pagodas is a monument of the Qing Empire. The height of the monastery, built of brick, is 16.5 m. It consists of three parts: the base, the pedestal of the vajra and five graceful pagodas. On the back wall of the temple are engraved a diagram of six metapsychotic circles, a diagram of Sumeru and an astrological chart in Mongolian. The map with explanations in Mongolian is unique and of high scientific value.
Wang Zhaojun's grave located 9 km south of Hohhot. The grave belongs to the Han era. It is a mound, 33 m high, the base area is 13,000 sq.m. The grave was overgrown with dense greenery, for which it received the name "green grave".
great mosque(1639) - the oldest and largest Muslim building in the city. It features a traditional Arabic dome and exquisite carvings. In Hohhot, it is also worth visiting the Museum of Inner Mongolia with a collection of household items and works of art of Mongolian nomads.
Xylitu Jao(Xilitu Zhao) is the largest Buddhist temple in the city and the premier seat of Buddhism in Inner Mongolia.
Story
Since the era of the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese began to settle here, who gave this place the name Guihua. In the 16th century (around 1580), Altan Khan founded the Mongolian city of Khukhe-Khoto (which is translated into Russian as “blue city” or “blue city”) here, which soon became an important political, commercial, religious (Tibetan Buddhism) and cultural center.
The sun is the source of life on the planet. Its rays give the necessary light and warmth. At the same time, ultraviolet radiation from the Sun is detrimental to all living things. To find a compromise between the beneficial and harmful properties of the Sun, meteorologists calculate the ultraviolet radiation index, which characterizes the degree of its danger.
What UV radiation from the sun is
The ultraviolet radiation of the Sun has a wide range and is divided into three regions, two of which reach the Earth.
-
UV-A. Longwave radiation range
315–400 nmThe rays pass almost freely through all atmospheric "barriers" and reach the Earth.
-
UVB. Medium wave radiation range
280–315 nmThe rays are 90% absorbed by the ozone layer, carbon dioxide and water vapor.
-
UVC. Shortwave radiation range
100–280 nmThe most dangerous area. They are completely absorbed by stratospheric ozone without reaching the Earth.
The more ozone, clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere, the less the harmful effect of the Sun. However, these saving factors have a high natural variability. The annual maximum of stratospheric ozone occurs in spring, and the minimum - in autumn. Cloud cover is one of the most variable weather characteristics. The content of carbon dioxide also changes all the time.
At what values of the UV index is there a danger
The UV index gives an estimate of the amount of UV radiation from the Sun on the Earth's surface. UV index values range from safe 0 to extreme 11+.
- 0–2 Low
- 3–5 Moderate
- 6–7 High
- 8–10 Very high
- 11+ Extreme
In mid-latitudes, the UV index approaches unsafe values (6–7) only at the maximum height of the Sun above the horizon (occurs in late June - early July). At the equator, during the year, the UV index reaches 9...11+ points.
What is the benefit of the sun
In small doses, UV radiation from the Sun is essential. The sun's rays synthesize melanin, serotonin, vitamin D, necessary for our health, and prevent rickets.
Melanin creates a kind of protective barrier for skin cells from the harmful effects of the sun. Because of it, our skin darkens and becomes more elastic.
Happiness hormone serotonin affects our well-being: it improves mood and increases overall vitality.
Vitamin D strengthens the immune system, stabilizes blood pressure and performs anti-rickets functions.
Why is the sun dangerous?
When sunbathing, it is important to understand that the line between beneficial and harmful Sun is very thin. Excessive sunburn always borders on a burn. UV radiation damages DNA in skin cells.
The body's defense system cannot cope with such an aggressive impact. This lowers the immune system, damages the retina, causes skin aging and can lead to cancer.
Ultraviolet destroys the DNA strand
How does the sun affect people?
Susceptibility to UV radiation depends on skin type. The most sensitive to the Sun are people of the European race - for them, protection is required already at an index of 3, and 6 is considered dangerous.
At the same time, for Indonesians and African Americans, this threshold is 6 and 8, respectively.
Who is affected the most by the Sun?
people with light
skin tone
People with many moles
Residents of the middle latitudes while relaxing in the south
winter lovers
fishing
Skiers and climbers
People with a family history of skin cancer
In what weather is the sun most dangerous
The fact that the Sun is dangerous only in hot and clear weather is a common misconception. You can also get burned in cool cloudy weather.
Cloudiness, no matter how dense it may be, does not at all reduce the amount of ultraviolet to zero. In mid-latitudes, cloud cover significantly reduces the risk of sunburn, which cannot be said about traditional beach holiday destinations. For example, in the tropics, if in sunny weather you can get burned in 30 minutes, then in cloudy weather - in a couple of hours.
How to protect yourself from the sun
To protect yourself from harmful rays, follow these simple rules:
Get less exposure to the Sun during the midday hours
Wear light-colored clothing, including wide-brimmed hats
Use protective creams
Wear sunglasses
Stay in the shade more on the beach
Which sunscreen to choose
Sunscreen varies in terms of sun protection and is labeled from 2 to 50+. The numbers indicate the proportion of solar radiation that overcomes the protection of the cream and reaches the skin.
For example, when applying a cream labeled 15, only 1/15 (or 7%) of the UV rays will penetrate the protective film. In the case of cream 50, only 1/50, or 2%, affects the skin.
Sunscreen creates a reflective layer on the body. However, it is important to understand that no cream is capable of reflecting 100% of ultraviolet radiation.
For everyday use, when the time spent under the Sun does not exceed half an hour, a cream with protection 15 is quite suitable. For tanning on the beach, it is better to take 30 and above. However, for fair-skinned people, it is recommended to use a cream labeled 50+.
How to apply sunscreen
The cream should be applied evenly to all exposed skin, including the face, ears and neck. If you plan to sunbathe for a long time, then the cream should be applied twice: 30 minutes before going out and, additionally, before going to the beach.
Please refer to the cream instructions for how much to apply.
How to apply sunscreen while swimming
Sunscreen should be applied every time after bathing. Water washes away the protective film and, reflecting the sun's rays, increases the dose of ultraviolet radiation received. Thus, when bathing, the risk of burning increases. However, due to the cooling effect, you may not feel the burn.
Excessive sweating and rubbing with a towel is also a reason to re-protect the skin.
It should be remembered that on the beach, even under an umbrella, the shade does not provide full protection. Sand, water, and even grass reflect up to 20% of UV rays, increasing their impact on the skin.
How to protect your eyes
Sunlight reflecting off water, snow, or sand can cause painful retinal burns. Use sunglasses with an ultraviolet filter to protect your eyes.
Danger for skiers and climbers
In the mountains, the atmospheric "filter" is thinner. For every 100 meters of altitude, the UV index increases by 5%.
Snow reflects up to 85% of UV rays. In addition, up to 80% of the ultraviolet reflected by the snow cover is again reflected by the clouds.
Thus, in the mountains, the Sun is most dangerous. Protecting the face, lower part of the chin and ears is necessary even in cloudy weather.
How to deal with sunburn if you are burned
Treat the body with a damp sponge to wet the burn
Lubricate the burnt areas with anti-burn cream
If the temperature rises, consult a doctor, you may be advised to take an antipyretic
If the burn is severe (skin is very swollen and blisters), seek medical attention.
The Chinese city of Hohhot was built back in 1581. Almost from the first years of its existence, it has become a place where different cultures have united. The Chinese themselves also came up with a beautiful name for it. "a city where the whistle of the wind is not heard" . This already speaks of this area as one of the most calm and peaceful corners of China.
Now it is the center of Inner Mongolia. However, there is nothing to be surprised here either - the city has been closely associated with the Mongols since the fifteenth century. If the Chinese have lived here since the reign of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, then the Mongols settled here in the fifteenth century. The city was named Khukhe-Khoto. The "Blue City" almost immediately became an important political, commercial and even religious center.
Knowing about the rich history of this town, you come here with high expectations. Visitors expect to see many interesting sights and unique places. And their expectations are justified. The city is incredibly beautiful and interesting.
One of the largest attractions that we immediately advise all tourists to visit - dazhao temple. This is one of the largest centers of Buddhism in all of Tibet. Construction began almost immediately after the founding of the city. In fact, the Hohhot, as we see it now, was formed around this temple. The Dajal Temple is a large wooden structure that, despite its age, is surprisingly well preserved. Everyone should visit it, and not just passing through, but really delving into the history of the building. It consists of several main rooms - the main gate, the Buddha Hall, the Hall of Insight, the Palace of the Heavenly King and several more, slightly less significant rooms and outbuildings.
Another similar building Great Monastery of Five Pagodas . It was built in 1732. This is a brick monument of the Qing Dynasty. During its existence, the Monastery has changed a bit. Now of the five pagodas conceived by the architect, only one remains. The base of this amazing architectural structure is decorated with Buddhist religious texts. They are written in three languages at once: Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese. And the upper part of the panels is decorated with golden Buddha figurines. Another interesting part of the monastery is a huge astronomical map that occupies the entire northern wall of the building. You will definitely not see such a miracle anywhere else.
Just a hundred meters from Dazhao Temple there is another beautiful building. This silitu temple. It is amazingly beautiful, and occupies an impressive area. It took 52 years to build this religious building. Another noteworthy point is that the abbot of this temple for a long time was the tutor of the fourth Dalai Lama. And after his student fully "took office", he, of course, did not forget about his teacher and invested in the expansion of the temple. The building is made almost entirely in the traditional Chinese style. The only exception is the Dajing Hall, which is already decorated in the Tibetan style. Silitu Temple is also known to many as a place where Chinese Buddhists annually gather for a traditional festival. But the Dalai Lama is forbidden to visit China due to "political differences" with the Chinese authorities.
By the way, as already mentioned, Hohhot is a place where different cultures coexist peacefully. Therefore, in addition to Buddhist monasteries in the city, you can also find a real Muslim mosque, built back in 1639. Against the backdrop of other buildings, the mosque with its traditional prick and Arabic script that adorns the walls looks very unusual.
Many buildings on the territory of the city and next to it are dedicated to individual great personalities. So, for example, just nine kilometers from Hohhot there is a tomb where beautiful Wang Zhaojun . This girl was to become one of the many concubines of the emperor. Like other beauties, she had to wait her turn. She was very beautiful, and perhaps the emperor would even have a chance to fall in love with her. But because of the meanness of the courtiers, everything went completely wrong. They provided the emperor with a distorted portrait of the girl, and he, without hesitation, married her to a representative of one of the militant clans. The emperor thought that he was giving him a mediocre girl who would be useful at least in order to establish peaceful relations with neighbors. The leader of the Xunyu clan appreciated the generosity of the emperor, and there was no more enmity between them. And a luxurious “green tomb” was built for the beauty, surrounded by greenery and flowers.
Another great personality you must have heard of - Genghis Khan. Since the influence of Mongolian culture is clearly felt in the city, due attention is also paid to this ruler. Whatever they say about him, he was really talented in his field. He managed to gather the wild Mongol tribes, which before that could not coexist peacefully, and turn them into something united and invincible. His empire at one time was one of the greatest. If you expect to visit the tomb of Genghis Khan when you arrive in Hohhot, then you will not succeed. The fact is that in those days the rulers could choose the places where they would be buried. After the invincible Mongol was nevertheless killed in battle, he was buried in a place whose location is now unknown to anyone.
But a great Mausoleum was built in his honor. It is not located in the city itself, you will have to get to the mausoleum for several more hours by car or one of the tourist buses. The mausoleum itself is so majestic that it can be seen from afar. Approaching it, you will immediately notice the traditional two-tiered roofs, painted blue, and a huge five-meter statue of Genghis Khan. Sarcophagi with the remains of the relatives of the great khan are stored in the mausoleum. In addition to them, you can look at various things belonging to the ruler, and just some valuable artifacts that have remained since those times.
And after visiting the mausoleum you can go to silamuzhen . This is a very small town that looks very authentic. Coming here, a person seems to travel in time, transported back to those times when nomads rode horses across the desert steppe for many months in order to find a place like this and settle here with their wives, children and their yurts. There are many "traditional Mongolian" entertainments here. For example, you can ride a horse, watch a performance with traditional songs or competitions. And you can take part in such a show yourself, or just relax, tasting local dishes and strong wine.
As in a small Mongolian town, and in Hohhot itself, you can buy many interesting souvenirs. They sell accessories made from ram's horns and other original crafts that you won't find anywhere else.