Uherqin Obo Forest Park

Uherqin Obo Forest Park

Uherqin Obo is the highest peak in Zhenglan Banner, standing at an altitude of 1,794 meters. According to historical records, during the Yuan Dynasty, common people referred to this mountain as Wanshou Mountain, which served as an imperial hunting ground. Emperor Kublai Khan often hunted here. It wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty that the site was designated as a sacrificial Obo (sacred cairn) for the Chahar Zhengbai Cattle Group Sulu. Located approximately 30 kilometers northeast of Shangdu Town, it stands like a giant among the surrounding mountains. The mountain features dense secondary forests, murmuring streams, a wide variety of rare flowers and plants, a rich diversity of wildlife, and numerous edible wild fruits and herbs. Here, visitors can not only admire the beauty of nature and enjoy the gifts of the heavens, but also go swimming and fishing in the lake beneath Changtu Obo, as well as pay homage to the mysterious Uherqin Obo and participate in the solemn Obo worship ceremony. An Obo is a unique structure on the grasslands—it helps guide travelers so they don’t get lost in the vast expanse, serves as a boundary marker to define natural pasture limits, and is revered by herders as a divine entity governing fortune and misfortune. As such, Obo worship has become an indispensable part of life for the nomadic people.

Climbing to the top of the lofty Obo Mountain and looking back, you’ll see the vast green grasslands come alive, the golden sands ripple and roll, and the lush woodlands add grandeur to the grasslands and desert. The scenery here changes with the seasons, offering unique views all year round. In spring, birds sing and flower buds prepare to bloom; in summer, the mountains are covered in green and flowers are in full bloom; in autumn, the forests are painted in layers of color and fruits are abundant; in winter, snow blankets the valleys, dressing the land in silver. Deep within the dense woods, various rare animals such as roe deer, Mongolian gazelles, and pheasants make their homes. Notably, this area is also a natural treasure trove of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs—plants such as peonies, angelica, astragalus, and lilies are commonly found—earning it the name “Emuqi” Obo, which means “Doctor Obo” in Chinese. To this day, local Mongolian doctors still regularly come to the mountain to collect medicinal herbs.