Inner Mongolia Educational Tour

When arriving in Hohhot, start with airport pickup, then dinner. Next is the opening ceremony, where camp uniforms are distributed, group campers are assigned, and grassland Mongolian clothes and other items are handed over. The itinerary and notes are also explained.

After a nice hotel breakfast, take a coach to Ulanhad Volcanic Geopark. Called the "Forgotten Grassland Volcanoes," it's the only Holocene volcanic cluster found on the Mongolian Plateau's southern edge, covering around 280 square kilometers with over 30 volcanoes.

When you get there, first climb well-preserved Volcano No. 3 to see its amazing crater from old eruptions. The round crater is about 180 meters across and 30 meters deep. Then hike 3 kilometers from Volcano No. 3 to No. 6, passing great views where big grasslands meet these impressive volcanoes.

Volcano No. 3

Volcano No. 6

Hiking to the volcano crater

In the afternoon, rode to HuiTengxiLe Grassland. It sits on the northern Yin Mountains and eastern Daqing Mountains, in Chahar Right Middle Banner of Ulanqab City, a typical alpine meadow averaging 2,100 meters high.

Along the way, vast grasslands slowly came into view: cattle and sheep grazed lazily, and clean Mongolian yurts dotted the land like stars. When we arrived, everyone could enjoy the great grassland views, with a fresh breeze on their skin, bringing calm and joy. Evening, spend the night in a traditional grassland yurt at Huitengxile. Join an interactive volcano quiz in the yurt to remember what you learned in the morning.

The pony on HuiTengxiLe Grassland

Your Journey's Rewards:

Get close to volcanoes from the Holocene epoch. Walk between No. 3 and No. 6 volcanoes. See grasslands at high altitudes. Stay in a yurt. Play games to learn more about volcanoes.

Educational Focus:

What geological knowledge and ecological relationships can be acquired from volcanoes and grasslands in this journey?

Takeaway:

Ulanhad Volcanic Group is the only Holocene volcanic group with eruptions discovered on the southern margin of the Mongolian Plateau. Its 30 - plus volcanoes within 280 square kilometers record late Quaternary volcanic activities. Volcano 3, with a well - preserved structure, has a crater about 180 meters in diameter and 30 meters deep, reflecting the intensity of past eruptions. Huitengxile Grassland, a typical alpine meadow at an average altitude of 2100 meters, shows the adaptation and evolution of vegetation in specific geological environments. Volcano knowledge quizzes reinforce understanding of volcanic geology.

Thought Challenge:

Volcanic activities shape unique landforms. Grasslands thrive in such environments. How do these interactions between geological processes and biological communities affect the long - term evolution of regional ecosystems?

After breakfast at the hotel, go back to Hohhot and visit Inner Mongolia Museum—a top national museum with unique local ethnic heritage. See the world's largest Cretaceous dinosaur and mammoth fossils, check out China's most authoritative halls on northern nomadic civilizations to learn the Mongolian Plateau's historical changes. Then join a space science workshop: unravel cosmic mysteries, learn about China's Shenzhou spacecrafts, and admire astronauts' achievements.

Dinosaur fossils in the Inner Mongolia Museum

Take a vehicle across the Daqing Mountains to Wuchuan County. Have lunch with Inner Mongolia's healthy local specialty—oat noodle banquet. Then go to Hongor Ovoo, Xilamuren Grassland's largest obo, watch the great open-air equestrian epic "Legend South of the Gobi" to learn about Mongolian equestrian culture, then move to a grassland yurt camp. After dinner, join the bonfire party, sing and dance with locals to experience unique Mongolian customs.

A thrilling equestrian performance

Archery while riding a horse

Your Journey's Rewards:

Visit Inner Mongolia Museum. See Cretaceous dinosaur fossils and mammoth fossils. Learn about northern nomadic peoples. Attend aerospace knowledge classes. Taste Youmian feast. Watch the equestrian drama Legend of Monan. Join the bonfire party.

Educational Focus:

As a major settlement for various nomadic ethnic groups, how has Inner Mongolia achieved the integration of their cultures?

Takeaway:

Open spaces come from grasslands and other lands. When ethnic groups move, they make overlapping areas. They pick up production skills in daily contact, like how Xiongnu cavalry ways and Turkic iron-smelting spread. Nomadic economies that complement each other push exchanges. In trade, living customs mix—Mongolian dairy skills, for example, fit into other groups' likes. Marriage and other alliances help cultures mix, letting things like clothes cross group lines; Xiongnu and Xianbei, for one, shared costume designs. These groups have cultures that include others, with beliefs that work together. Festivals have horse races and more, which all use as common links. When they face the same survival problems, their shared identity grows. They learn nomadic wisdom from each other, building a knowledge system that fits the environment, which lays the base for mixing.

Thought Challenge:

How do natural history, ethnic culture and modern technology interact to shape regional identity?

After breakfast, start an interactive grassland lesson: put on Mongolian clothes and live as a Mongol for a day. Build a yurt with instructors, learning its parts—Toono (crown), Uni (roof poles), Khana (lattice walls)—and how it suits nomadic life. Learn basic Mongolian phrases (greetings, thanks) and classic dances to get deep into ethnic customs. Watch and join Bökh wrestling; understand its rules and meaning, and feel Mongol courage and strength. Finally, go to the equestrian center, where pros teach you riding skills—right posture, holding reins, mounting/dismounting.

Mongolian clothes

Mongolian Bökh wrestling competitors enter the arena

Learn how to ride a horse croecttly

After lunch, take an easy walk across the grassland to Obo Hill to see ancient rock carvings. These carvings, featuring people, animals and houses, are key evidence of prehistoric northern border cultures. The guide will explain their history: when and how they were made, and what they show about the life and beliefs of ancient ethnic minorities. After viewing the rock art, we'll drive to Baotou, the "Grassland Steel City," and stay there.

Your Journey's Rewards:

Wear Mongolian costumes, learn to put up yurts, and know their parts and adaptability to nomadic life. Learn Mongolian, dance Mongolian dances, and understand folk customs. Watch Boke wrestling, learn horse-riding skills. Visit Aobao Mountain to see rock paintings and hear their history and significance.

Educational Focus:

Yurts, as mobile dwellings, are rare in the world. What characteristics of Mongolian nomadic culture do they reflect?

Takeaway:

Yurts are mobile. This shows how Mongolian nomads are wise at adapting to nature. They're easy to put up and take down, so they fit the life of moving with water and grass, shifting when pastures change. Their design uses resources well. Parts like toono, uni and hana are easy to get and put together. They don't hurt the grassland, showing people living well with nature. Inside, the west side is respected. This layout shows the rules and family values in nomadic culture, a clear sign of what the group thinks is important in daily life. Yurts are homes for nomads. They hold the group's life stories and memories, standing as a symbol of nomadic culture—moving but steady. They show the nation sticks to and passes on its way of life.

Thought Challenge:

How can the unique traditional living skills and cultural customs of the Mongolian people remain vibrant and continue in modern society?

After breakfast, drive to Kubuqi Desert – China's seventh-largest. Once there, take an immersive course at the Desert Science Museum. Use exhibits, digital displays and physical models to study how the desert formed, its ecological impacts, and the tough but big rehabilitation efforts since the 1980s. Generations' work has turned about 6,000 km² of desert into oasis, making vegetation coverage rise a lot.

Hike to a desert oasis after the course. Check out drought-resistant plants like saxaul and sand willow – their strong roots hold sandy soil in place. At the oasis, clear water and thick vegetation stand in sharp contrast to the surrounding desert. This shows people's resolve to fight desertification with years of tree-planting and water-saving irrigation.

The Desert Science Museum

People plant saxaul trees in the desert.

After lunch, go deep into the desert for fun activities. Take a desert shuttle across dunes for exciting rides; ride camels over sands to enjoy slow views; sandboard down steep slopes for speed thrills; drive off-road vehicles through rough terrain; wear desert gaiters to walk easily on soft sand. Also, learn wilderness water-harvesting skills—experts teach you to get moisture from desert plants and day-night temperature changes. As night falls, the day's rich itinerary comes to an end. Take a car to Dalate Banner, check into a local hotel, rest well, and prepare for the next day.

Ride camels

Your Journey's Rewards:

Clear knowledge of how deserts form, their effects on ecosystems, and ways to stop desert spread. A close look at desert ecosystems and the striking shift from desert to oasis. Understanding of dry-resistant plants and their role in fixing damaged environments.

Educational Focus:

How does Kubuqi Desert governance practice the human-environment co-evolution theory?

Takeaway:

The Quaternary aeolian sand layer in the Kubuqi Desert is 80-100 meters thick (evidenced by sediments in the ancient Yellow River course). The governance project has created a three-dimensional model of "straw checkerboard barriers + shrub planting + photovoltaic panel shading". Haloxylon ammodendron has horizontal roots extending 32 meters in radius (remote sensing data from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2022), forming an underground sand-fixing network with Salix psammophila. Vegetation coverage has risen from 3% in 1980 to 53% in 2023 (census by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration), and the 1.7-meter rise in groundwater level proves the sustainability of ecological restoration.

Thought Challenge:

How might the balance between human intervention in desertification and the natural evolution of desert ecosystems be sustained to ensure long-term ecological stability?

After breakfast, visit Inner Mongolia's Zhao Dajian Rural Chronicle Paper-Cutting Art Museum. Set up in 2015, the 26,400-sqm place has a 600-sqm hall with over 300 works mixing traditional and modern paper-cutting. Dive into intangible cultural heritage: talk to inheritors to learn about Chinese paper-cutting, then make your zodiac paper-cut with their help—master folding, cutting and mounting—and keep your work.

Go to a dough sculpture workshop next. This edible heritage craft lets you learn materials, tools and skills. Follow the instructors to knead the dough, add color and shape it into your own sculpture, feeling the charm of this old art.

The teacher explains how to make paper cuts.

Making zodiac paper-cut

After the activity, go back to Hohhot and visit Dashengkui Cultural Creative Park. Founded in the late 17th century Qing Dynasty, Dashengkui Trading House started the Ten-Thousand-Mile Tea Road, with its business covering Eurasia. Learn about its centuries of glory and famous trading history. The park's Morin Khuur Museum studies, keeps and shows this key Mongolian instrument, plus related music and cultural items—displaying instruments like Morin Khuur and Sugin Khur to tell their cultural story. The China Numismatic Museum (Yongsheng Currency Museum) also shows money history through many coin collections. After touring these venues, check into the hotel to rest, and stay overnight in Hohhot.

Your Journey's Rewards:

Study how auspicious patterns are culturally coded, watch inheritors create with "hand and mind as one," use paper-cutting/dough modeling to analyze ethnic beauty styles, and see how traditional skills boost rural revitalization.

Educational Focus:

How did the Dashengkui Trading House interact with the cultural and economic patterns of different ethnic groups along the route while opening up the Tea Road and expanding its Eurasian business territory? How did these interactions affect its own business model and the shaping of its commercial legend?

Takeaway:

Along its transcontinental trade routes, the Da Sheng Kui Trading House had many cultural and economic exchanges with ethnic groups there. It changed how it communicated by using local customs, languages and etiquette. At the same time, it spread Central Plains commercial culture. This lets cultures enrich each other. For the economy, it picked goods to fit what pastoral groups needed, like tea and cloth. It also used flexible ways to get paid, mixing money and trading goods, taking ideas from different ethnic groups.

These exchanges shaped how it worked. They helped build a supply chain across regions to gather local resources. They also set up a management system for many cultures, with staff from different ethnic groups and rules that fit their cultures. All this helped it succeed as a business. By fitting into local cultures and mixing with local economies, it became more trusted in these areas. This lets it grow its trade areas. The skills it learned from dealing with different cultures gave it an edge over others. This helped it stay important for a hundred years along the old Tea Road.

Thought Challenge:

How can cross-ethnic and cross-regional business interactions sustain their vitality in promoting cultural integration and economic development today?

After breakfast, take a coach to Zhaojun Museum—a National Key Cultural Heritage Site and patriotic education base. See the world's only Xiongnu Culture Exhibition Hall, China's Historical Marriage Alliance Culture Hall, and the Great Yurt of the Chanyu. Learn about ancient China's Xiongnu civilization and marriage alliance traditions, and feel Zhaojun culture's lasting influence. Then go to Hohhot Baita International Airport, ending the academic journey through Inner Mongolia's Chilechuan region.

Zhaojun Museum

Your Journey's Rewards:

Take home the zodiac paper-cuts you made, learn to knead edible dough dolls, and gain a deep understanding of Inner Mongolia's commercial development history.

Educational Focus:

How does the display of Xiongnu culture at Zhaojun Museum provide a unique perspective for understanding ancient ethnic exchanges, integration, and the coexistence of diverse cultures?

Takeaway:

The museum has Xiongnu bronze and gold artifacts. They show how the Xiongnu made things and what they found beautiful. These artifacts look different from Central Plains cultures in some ways, but similar in others—like Xiongnu bronzes with Central Plains designs. This shows they exchanged cultures. Displays also show how the Xiongnu changed from a group of tribes to a strong power. They fought and traded with Central Plains dynasties. This political contact helped their systems grow. Xiongnu religious ways, such as sacrifices, are different from Central Plains traditions. This shows cultures are not all the same. Over time, they influenced each other, creating new traditions. This helps us understand how ancient cultures lived together.

Thought Challenge:

Today, with globalization, how can we learn from how ancient Xiongnu culture and other ethnic cultures exchanged and mixed, to help modern different cultures live together harmoniously?