Yulong Post

Yulong Post

Although Erenhot City is located on the vast Gobi Desert, which has been sparsely populated since ancient times, it is home to an extremely important historical site — an important stop along the Grassland Silk Road: Yulong Post. In ancient Chinese history, there were the Han-Tang Silk Roads originating from Chang’an (present-day Xi'an) and the Yuan Dynasty Grassland Silk Road starting from Dadu (present-day Beijing). The Yuan Dynasty Grassland Silk Road was divided into two routes: the southern route started from Dadu, passed through Shangdu (present-day Xilinhot), Fengzhou (present-day Hohhot), Juyan (present-day Ejin), and Hami, then connected to the Persian Route before leading to countries along the Mediterranean coast. Marco Polo traveled to the Yuan Dynasty along this very route. The northern route began in Dadu, passed through Shangdu and Karakorum (present-day west of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia), Altai, and connected to the Kipchak Route before extending to various European countries. Western envoys such as the Frenchman William of Rubruck arrived at the capital of the Mongol Empire via this path. Today, near the north shore of Erlian Salt Lake, Yulong Post was established. During the Qing Dynasty, this post became a key station along the Grassland Tea-Silk Road and was known as the "Yilin" Post. In the 15th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1899), the telephone line constructed by the Qing court to connect to Kulun (present-day Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) passed through this post, where a telegraph office was also set up. In 1918, a caravan trading company established an automobile service, opening the Zhangjiakou-Kulun Highway, and set up a “Pangbei” rest stop at this post. The remnants of the post stations along the Grassland Silk Road can still be faintly seen today, making them particularly precious and serving as historical evidence of Erenhot City’s rise due to its strategic location along these routes.