Daihai Tourist Resort

Daihai Tourist Resort

Daihai Tourist Resort is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Daihai Tourist Resort enjoys the reputation of being the “Sapphire of the Grassland and the Divine Spring Beyond the Great Wall.” It is located in Liangcheng County. The resort boasts an outstanding ecological environment, where mountains and waters complement each other, and forests and grasslands thrive. Its convenient transportation has made it a popular destination throughout history.

Throughout history, Daihai has attracted countless visitors. Over the dynasties, dignitaries and scholars came to admire its natural beauty described as “flocks of wild geese, roaring winds and waves, waves over ten feet high, standing like a forest or weighing down like clouds.” It is the largest inland lake in central Inner Mongolia, covering a surface area of 160 square kilometers, and is home to 29 species of fish. The surrounding areas feature vast beaches and lush woodlands.

To the north of the lake lies a hot spring, which is a weakly mineralized sodium bicarbonate-type hot water with a surface temperature of 38°C. The water contains seventeen trace elements beneficial to the human body, such as strontium, lithium, zinc, and selenium, and is highly effective in treating various diseases. In the mountains north of the hot spring, there is a sleeping Buddha. Viewed up close, it looks like a mountain, but from afar, it resembles a Buddha, with its eyes, ears, and nose vividly shaped.

Daihai stretches 10 kilometers from north to south and 35 kilometers from east to west. In midsummer, the slightly oval-shaped Daihai resembles a lotus leaf just emerging, exuding a vibrant green. Daihai is extensively documented in historical texts. During the Han Dynasty, it was called “Zhuchen Ze,” in the Northern Wei Dynasty it was known as “Hulu Hai,” during the Song and Yuan Dynasties it was referred to as “Yuanyang Po,” and in the Qing Dynasty, Mongolians called it “Daigen Tala,” later simply known as Daihai, a name that has been used to this day.

Currently, the resort area features various facilities including holiday villages, hot spring baths, Mongolian yurts for accommodation, boat docks, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Activities available include swimming, boating, hot spring therapy, and bonfire parties.

The renowned Daihai Lake, located in Liangcheng County, Ulanqab City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, covers a total area of 260,000 mu, with reed beds extending over 25,000 mu outside the lake. In recent years, Inner Mongolia Daihai Protection and Construction Development Co., Ltd. has invested nearly 400 million yuan to develop the Daihai Tourist Area in Liangcheng County, Ulanqab City. The investments have gone into multiple projects, including the Daihai Hotel, Daihai Tourism Center, Daihai Hot Spring Bathing City, Daihai Ski Resort, Daihai Cultural Garden, and Daihai Tourism School. Within the 130-square-kilometer area around Daihai Lake, a new resort destination suitable for leisure, vacation, and conference tourism has taken shape.

Daihai stretches 10? from north to south and 35? from east to west. In midsummer, the slightly oval-shaped Daihai resembles a lotus leaf just emerging, exuding a vibrant green. Daihai is extensively documented in historical texts. Throughout history, Daihai has attracted countless visitors. Over the dynasties, dignitaries and scholars came to admire its natural beauty described as “flocks of wild geese, roaring winds and waves, waves over ten feet high, standing like a forest or weighing down like clouds.” During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi visited Daihai many times while patrolling the border. He recognized the area as a feng shui treasure and built an imperial palace here, naming it “Liangcheng” and titling the lake “Tianchi” (Heavenly Lake). The palace was later renamed Huixiang Temple, which became one of the grandest monasteries in Inner Mongolia, but was destroyed in a fire in 1939. The 38,000-mu primeval secondary forest of Manhan Mountain is home to dozens of wild animal species and is a national forest park. Beneath the peaks on the northern side are scenic wonders such as Buddha Cave, Golden Water Ridge, and the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cellar, making it a great spot for sightseeing. The Daihai Tourist Area is dotted with numerous attractions. From the ruins of Huixiang Temple, looking west, the Sleeping Buddha of Dongjin Mountain sits peacefully with lifelike features. Buddhist master Zhao Puchu once described it as a rare natural wonder. The area also contains early Longshan culture relics from 5,000 years ago in the northern frontier, including the Tiger Mountain Stone City ruins and Yuanziugou Cave Dwelling ruins, as well as two hundred-kilometer stretches of the Great Wall — the ancient Qin and Han Great Wall, and the Ming and Qing Great Wall.

Daihai Hot Spring, also known as Mapao Spring, is located in Zhongtang Village, Sansumu Township near Daihai. It earned its name from the legend that Emperor Kangxi’s horse dug the spring to quench its thirst while he was patrolling the border. In the past, it served as a bathing and convalescence site for nobility, with a daily water yield of 2,732 tons and a temperature of 38°C. The water contains a variety of trace elements beneficial to health and is effective in treating various skin diseases as well as rheumatic pain in the waist and legs.