Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area

Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area

The Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Inner Mongolia Taipusi Banner Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area: Established in 1996, this AAAA-level tourist area is located in Gongbolage Sumu, Taipusi Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia, covering nearly 20,000 mu with 100% grassland coverage. It is situated on the site of an ancient imperial horse farm from the Qing Dynasty, offering an authentic Inner Mongolia grassland experience and is hailed as the “back garden of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei.” The area can accommodate 800 diners and 500 overnight guests. It is 320 km from Beijing, accessible via expressway with a 4-hour drive. Xilin Gol League is also known as “China’s Horse Capital” and “Lucky Grassland,” and is a natural oxygen bar with high levels of negative ions in the air.

Since its establishment, the Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area in Taipusi Banner, Inner Mongolia, has adhered to a service philosophy of advancing both software and hardware facilities in tandem, striving to build a 5A-level tourist destination. Guided by the development principles of strong people-oriented concepts, rich cultural foundation, comprehensive service functions, superior tourism environment, and vibrant tourism economy, the area has successfully hosted three National Equestrian Competitions since 2008. In September 2013, during the second National Equestrian Competition, the Imperial Horse Ranch Equestrian Performance Team lived up to expectations and shone brilliantly, setting two Guinness World Records: most horse jumps in 30 seconds and most scarf pickups on horseback in 30 seconds. Over the years, it has also successfully hosted summer camps for multiple schools and corporate team-building and training activities.

Accommodation options at the Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area currently include: 208 beds in 2–4 person standard rooms at the Imperial Horse Ranch Hotel, 20 deluxe cement yurts, 12 luxury chariot yurts, and 40 standard felt tents with shared bathrooms for 3 people. Facilities also include: a multi-functional restaurant at the Imperial Horse Ranch Hotel (capable of seating 600 diners simultaneously), 15 specialty dining yurts for 10–30 people, a professional racetrack, a professional bonfire venue, a go-kart track, an archery range, the Imperial Horse Ranch Horse Culture Museum, the Imperial Horse Ranch Akhal-Teke Horse Exhibition Area (home to 32 horses and modern horse-training equipment), an artificial lake, and Mt. Obo. The area also offers professional equestrian performances, Mongolian Ulan Muqir song and dance shows, and traditional Mongolian cultural activities such as Obo worship ceremonies.

The Taipusi Banner area where the Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area is located enjoys average summer temperatures of 15–25°C, with fresh, dry, and cool air, making it a natural oxygen bar and an ideal summer retreat. The blue sky, white clouds, starry nights, and endless Inner Mongolian grasslands create a refreshing and uplifting environment. The ranch also features a large organic vegetable production base to ensure green and healthy dining ingredients.

Note: June to August is the local peak tourist season, when accommodation is in high demand. Phone reservations are accepted, and early bookings may be eligible for discounts.

Address: Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area, beside National Highway 207, Gongbolage Sumu, Taipusi Banner, Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia

Self-driving route from Beijing: Take the Beijing–Tibet Expressway (formerly Badaling Expressway) → transfer to the Beijing–Zhangjiakou Expressway (toward Zhangjiakou) → at the 142 km mark, transfer to the Dalian–Lhasa Expressway → at the 182 km mark, transfer to the Zhangjiakou–Shijiazhuang Expressway → continue straight (toward Inner Mongolia) → at Sanhaidi Toll Station (Inner Mongolia–Hebei border) → continue straight and exit at Gongbolage (with Imperial Horse Ranch signage) → turn right to the end → turn left onto National Highway 207 → turn left after 200 meters on the right side → Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area.

The Imperial Horse Ranch Tourist Area offers:

I. Accommodation and Dining Services:

1. Accommodation: 2–4 person standard rooms at the Imperial Horse Ranch Hotel (private bathroom); chariot yurts (deluxe double, private bathroom); cement yurts (double with private bathroom); standard 3-person felt tents (shared bathroom).

2. Dining: Multi-functional dining hall at the Imperial Horse Ranch Hotel (seats 600 diners simultaneously), 15 specialty Mongolian yurt private rooms (accommodating 10–50 people each).

① Breakfast:

▲ Standard breakfast available (cold dishes, pickles, steamed buns, pastries, grassland flatbread, mantou, fried dough strips, congee, milk tea, eggs, etc.);

▲ Specialty Mongolian breakfast (hand-held lamb, dairy products, Mongolian steamed buns, Mongolian noodles, etc.).

② Main meals: (Ingredients primarily sourced from the Imperial Horse Ranch Organic Vegetable Base)

▲ Regular home-style meals; various home-cooked dishes

▲ Mongolian specialty meals (hand-held lamb, special whole roasted lamb, roasted lamb leg, roasted lamb chops, roasted lamb slices, mixed offal platter, dairy products, etc.);

▲ Oat noodle meals: various oat noodle dishes

▲ Specialty Mongolian hotpot lamb: authentic organic lamb from Inner Mongolia’s grasslands

II. Entertainment Facility Services:

1. Mongolian ceremonial reception: Mongolian horse team welcome; horse-mounted welcoming wine; presentation of hada (silk scarves), etc.

2. Professional racetrack: has hosted multiple editions of China’s Imperial Horse Culture Festival, also known as the China Equestrian Barrel Racing Championship. Small-scale Nadam performances (equestrian shows) are held daily. Guests may also ride horses, miniature horses, or camels.

3. Professional bonfire venue: large-scale Grassland Night Bonfire Party, featuring performances by local Ulan Muqir Mongolian actors presenting traditional Mongolian song and dance, as well as morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) solos. The event also includes interactive activities such as teaching guests how to dance the grassland Andai and grassland disco.

4. Archery range: professional facility

5. Comprehensive entertainment area: guests can ride grassland motorcycles, drive go-karts, try gliders, play laser clay pigeon shooting, ride sheep-pulled sightseeing carts, horse-drawn sightseeing carts, or sightseeing bicycles.

6. Mt. Obo: site of the ancient Qing Dynasty imperial horse farm, and filming location for many movies and TV dramas. Offers guests the chance to experience traditional Mongolian Obo worship ceremonies.

7. Horse Breeding Farm: Modern stables, professional horse-training tools, and displays of various horse breeds (such as Akhal-Teke, Mongolian horses, Don horses, etc.).

8. Horse Culture Museum: Nearly a thousand cultural relics showcasing the origins and essence of the heritage and development of horse culture and Mongolian culture.

9. Artificial Lake: Ideal for leisure, sightseeing, and fishing.

IV. Shopping

The scenic area features a large, affordable supermarket displaying a wide range of authentic Mongolian specialty products, including steppe liquor, fermented mare’s milk, dried beef and mutton, various dairy products, cattle and sheep leather goods, cattle and sheep horn products, Mongolian knives, and more. The products are diverse, genuine, and reasonably priced.

V. Nearby Attractions

Nearby attractions around the Imperial Horse Farm Tourist Area include visiting local herders, Malaigai Temple, and the Bengbeng Mountain Ten-Thousand-Mu Grassland Reserve Monument.

Major nearby destinations include Zhenglan Banner (Yuan Shangdu Ruins); Duolun County (Heifen River Rafting, Duolun Church of the Potrang, Xishawan, etc.); and Xilinhot City (Flat Top Mountain, Hongshandake Sandy Land, Beizi Temple, Liulangou, Girl’s Lake, etc.). Patriotic education bases in the vicinity include the Huailai Dong Cunrui Memorial Hall and the Zhangbei Sino-Soviet Martyrs' Cemetery.

1. Malaigai Temple: Originally a Tibetan Buddhist temple of the Left Banner of Taipusi Banner, Malaigai Temple was first built in the late Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty and completed in the second year of the Yongzheng reign. It was bestowed the name “Xian’an Temple” by the Qing royal family, but is called “Malaigai Temple” (meaning Hat Temple in Chinese) by local Mongolian people. For over 200 years, the temple has been renowned for its magnificent halls, abundant Buddhist scriptures, serene and elegant atmosphere, gathering of worshippers, and succession of eminent monks, making it one of the famous ancient temples in northern China. However, in the mid-20th century, under the influence of extreme leftist policies, this once-renowned temple suffered repeated damage, leaving only ruins today. Now, under the guidance of the autonomous region’s initiative to build a strong ethnic cultural region, and after careful research and investigation, Malaigai Temple has been identified as a cultural relic of the Mongolian people, a symbolic structure of the Qing Empire’s border pacification following its northern expansion, and the site of the Second Jamyang of Tibetan Buddhism. Restoring Malaigai Temple is the shared aspiration of the people of all ethnicities living on the Gongbolag Grassland. The Party Committee and government of Taipusi Banner have decided to restore this former Tibetan Buddhist sacred site, enabling it to play a unique role in economic development, cultural advancement, and tourism.

2. Bengbeng Mountain Ten-Thousand-Mu Grassland Reserve: To protect the grassland ecology, the autonomous region implemented projects such as fencing and relocation, and seasonal or permanent grazing bans. The Ten-Thousand-Mu Grassland Reserve is a key measure of our banner’s fencing and relocation project. It involves fencing off ten thousand mu of grassland in each banner of Gongbolag Sumu to prevent livestock such as cattle and sheep from entering. There are over ten such reserves across the sumu, protecting vast areas of grassland vegetation and forming part of our banner’s project to combat sandstorms affecting Beijing and Tianjin. In July 2001, during his inspection of the Bengbeng Mountain Ten-Thousand-Mu Grassland Reserve, then-Premier Wen Jiabao personally inscribed: “Combating desertification is urgent; building a green barrier is imperative.”

VI. Local Travel Precautions:

1. Due to water scarcity on the grasslands, hot water for bathing is sometimes only available in the morning and evening. Strong winds on the grasslands may also result in weaker TV signals.

2. Because of the large temperature difference between day and night and the cool climate on the grasslands, most hotels do not have air conditioning in their rooms.

3. Inner Mongolia is an inland region with a relatively dry climate, so it is advisable to bring lip balm and skincare products for women, drink plenty of water, and if you are concerned about adapting to the local water, you may fill your water bottle daily with the hotel’s boiled water.

4. The altitude in Inner Mongolia is around 1,500 meters, and sunlight is quite strong from June to September, so it’s a good idea to bring sunscreen. (From May to September, temperatures vary greatly, so packing extra clothing such as sweaters is recommended.)

5. The cuisine in Inner Mongolia is mainly based on northern Chinese dishes with relatively bold flavors. Additionally, guests will have the chance to try local specialties such as hand-pulled lamb. If you’re not used to eating lamb, there are other meal options available—you don’t need to worry, as we aim to cater to the tastes of all visitors.

6. The Mongolian people have been known for their hospitality since ancient times. Upon your arrival, you will surely be welcomed with a toast, but you will not be pressured to drink it all. Those who cannot drink alcohol should still accept the silver bowl as a sign of politeness.

7. If you wish to ride horses across the grasslands, it is advisable to bring gloves and hiking shoes. When riding freely on the grassland, avoid standing directly behind or to the right of the horse to prevent accidents. As Mongolian horse trainers customarily stand on the left side of the horse, the left side is the safest. Never roughhouse on horseback (especially avoid using your phone while riding), and never randomly whip yourself or the horse, as it may startle them and lead to accidents. If you ride to a herder’s home, dismount from a distance to avoid startling the livestock. When entering a ger (yurt), always enter from the left, avoid stepping on the threshold, and refrain from pointing with your fingers.

8. Try to avoid drinking alcohol during lunch on the grasslands, as it may affect your afternoon activities, especially if you plan to ride a horse. During meals on the grasslands, there is often a toasting ceremony with singing (at lunch or dinner). Before toasting, eat plenty of food, especially dishes and milk tea, which can aid digestion and help alleviate the effects of alcohol.

Note:

During the peak tourist season from June to August, accommodation is in high demand. Phone reservations are accepted, and early bookings may come with discounts.