Gonggeer Grassland in Chifeng

Gonggeer Grassland

Gonggeer Grassland is located in Keshenketeng Qi, in Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, and is one of most famous natural high-quality grassland there. It is vast and open, vigorous and magnificent, and its total area adds up to 4800,000 mou. There are aneurolepidium chinense and needlegrass of the cereal family, and over 500 kinds of other wild forage grass and plants, dozens of kinds of wild animals and more than 130 kinds of precious birds.

Introduction of Gonggeer Grassland

Gonggeer Grassland—the most beautiful and the nearest to Beijing

“The sky is blue, the field is boundless, the wind blows, the grass bows, and the herds and flocks are in sight”. Speaking of the grassland, of the Mongol nationality, people cannot refrain from recalling this oft-quoted ancient ballad, and the blue sky, the white clouds, the green field, the red flowers, groups of sheep, the studded yurts, the fragrant meat and milk—-a picture of the vast Inner Mongolian Grassland may emerge in front of their eyes. In fact, the grassland is not far from us. If we drive 600 kilometers northwards from Beijing, we will arrive at a nearest and most beautiful natural grassland—-the beauty of Gonggeer Grassland will come into view.

Four Seasons Scenery

In spring, there are green grass, luxuriant cattails, speckled yellow flowers, and swarms of migratory birds. In summer, the grassland seems to merge with the sky in distance, all flowers vie for beauty and glamour, and the cows, the horses and the sheep are all fat and strong. In autumn, the sky looks like a vaulted roof, the white clouds wander leisurely, and the numerous flowers are really intoxicating. In winter, the vast fields of snow are clad in white and adorned in silver, enchantingly beautiful. Once you enter the herdsmen’s yurt, you can feel from the creme, the cheese, the milk bean curd, milk tea, millet stir-fried in butter, stewed meat taken by hands, and the hospitable and unadorned Mongolian friends, the incomparable charm of the grassland, and you will be moved by the broadness of the Mongol’s minds.

Main Attractions

Besides Gonggeer Grassland, the beautiful and mysterious Keshiketeng has also many other places of natural and cultural interests, such as the Dalinuoer Lake, which is called “the Eden of the birds and the pearl of the grassland”, the Mantuo Mountain, which is a famous leisure resort, the emperor’s capital of Northern Yuan—the relics of Yingchang Road, the Haolai River, which is the narrowest river in the world, the Golden Great Wall, which stretches thousands of miles, the ancient Wulanbutong battlefield, where Emperor Kangxi defeated Gedan, the relics of the Quaternary Period glacier, which is rare in the world—ice mortar and granite stone forest, and also the well known spruce indene, and the hot spring etc.

Keshiketeng

“Keshiketeng” is the transliteration of Mongol, meaning “army corps”, or “armed escort”. It is a famous Mongolian tribe that was developed from Genghis Khan’s armed escort. There are not only nature’s treasures and beautiful scenes, but also centuries-old history and brilliant culture. As the story goes, Genghis Khan and Kublai had both stopped here and watered the horses. In the Northern Yuan Dynasty, it has been the Mongol nationality’s political, economic and cultural center. The Kangxi and Qianlong emperor of Qing dynasty had also arrived here and made their rounds. Today, with the development of the tourist industry, the visitors came in an endless stream to seek the past. The name of Gonggeer Grassland and Keshiketeng are spreading all over the country and even overseas.

Accommodate around Gong Geer Grassland

You may stay overnight at the Jingpeng Town, 35km to the west of the Gong Geer Grassland. In Jingpeng Town, you have more chances to select your hotel. Or you may put up at night in a tent in the Gong Geer Grassland or at the Dalinur Lake. Many local restaurants in Jingpeng Town offers many choices with smiling faces. You just sit down for a cup of milk tea and enjoy local flavors like dried beef, roasted whole sheep and fish feast and many more. You also can stay overnight in a yurt by the river.

How to Get There

Well, basically the city proper of Chifeng is the springboard for entering the Gong Geer Grassland. The grassland is about 265km to the northwest of Chifen city and 500km to the north of Beijing. The trains from Chifeng run to Beijing, Hohhot, Shenyang and Jinzhou. Daily flights connect Chifeng to Beijing and Hohhot. Then take the long-distance buses from Chifeng to Keshiketeng Qi (Hexigten) where you rent a local van or bus to the Gong Geer Grassland and Dalinur Lake or continue to drive along the north route and get to Baiyin’aobao National Nature Reserve which is a beautiful nature reserve mainly for protecting the sandy spruce forest rare in the world.

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Edited by  Lynette Fu/付云锐