The "Yilin" Post Station

The "Yilin" Post Station

The "Yilin" Post Station is a cultural heritage site protected by Erlianhot City.

On the northwest shore of Erlian Salt Lake lies an architectural site covering approximately 1,600 square meters. This site is the "Yilin" Post Station along the Zhangjiakou–Ulaanbaatar route that passed through Erlian Salt Lake. The post station was first established in the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1820 AD), known in Mongolian as the "Yilin" Post Station, which in Chinese means "era" or "beginning." By the 15th year of the Guangxu reign (1899 AD) during the Qing Dynasty, when the Zhang–Ku telegraph line was installed, a telegraph office was set up here to amplify signals for telegraphs sent to Europe. At that time, the site written as "Yilin" Post Station in Chinese had become the "Erlian" Post Station.　

In 1918, with the opening of the Zhang–Ku Highway by the Dacheng Zhangku Motor Company, a stopover station called "Pangbei" was established here, known in Mongolian as "Aiyindabei Shu," meaning "a salt post station that welcomes and bids farewell to travelers from afar." In 1943, the area was occupied by Japanese forces, and the post station was abandoned. Currently, the ruins of the "Yilin" Post Station have been listed as a municipal-level key cultural heritage site.