Shelter and the storm

By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-18 15:49

Wang Zhaojun Mausoleum is a must-see in Hohhot. File photo

Winds blow; grasses bend low; cattle and sheep loom. This is the most frequent epithet used to describe Inner Mongolia. The area has an innate tranquility and majesty that recall the golden era of Genghis Khan.

This was the landscape I was seeking when I embarked on my journey to Hohhot, about 500 km northwest of Beijing.

The name "Hohhot" is somewhat of a misnomer for the capital city of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. In early September, the city is anything but "hot, hot". It was sunny in the daytime and a little chilly in the evening. As a matter of fact, Hohhot is Mongolian for green city. It is situated in the middle of 880,000 sq km of prairie. What color do you expect except green?

The most surprising thing I encountered was a few pedestrians and bicyclists who wore surgical masks. "Why?" I asked. "The air is so clean here. We don't wear masks even in Beijing." I was puzzled. It was obvious those mask wearers were locals, not visitors from outside.

The city does have sandstorms, but this was not yet the season. It was explained to me that it was not dirty air they were guarding against, but some kinds of pollens that people are allergic to.

The city is not much different from other provincial capitals around the country, except for the newly unveiled theater and museum. The building complex resembles a mound of grass with all the facilities hidden beneath it. Had it been built on the prairie, people might think it was just a bunker. The design is rare in an age when this kind of public project usually calls attention to itself with whatever outsized architectural fashions they can.

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