Kublai Khan's Summer Palace

Kublai Khan's Summer Palace

Kublai Khan's Summer Palace is located 15 kilometers east of Dundahao Town in Zhenglan Banner, at 114°55′14″ east longitude and 41°46′71″ north latitude. It lies 15 kilometers southwest of Shangdu Town, the seat of the Zhenglan Banner People's Government, 2 kilometers northeast of the ruins of the Yuan Dynasty’s Shangdu, 380 kilometers from Beijing, the capital, 517 kilometers from Hohhot, the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 238 kilometers from Xilinhot, and 2.5 kilometers from Provincial Highway 304. It is a key tourist area along the important tourism loop of Zhenglan Banner (Shangdu Town ~ Kublai Khan's Summer Palace ~ Yuan Shangdu Ruins ~ Wuherqin Obo ~ Xiaozhagesitai Nur Bird Habitat ~ Sanggendalai Town ~ Shangdu Town).

The Kublai Khan's Summer Palace Tourist Resort is named after the historical background of Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, ascending the throne and establishing the Great Yuan Empire in Shangdu, which served as the summer capital of the Yuan Dynasty for many years. It serves as the best stopover for visiting the Yuan Shangdu Ruins and experiencing the scenery of the Golden Lotus Prairie. When summer arrives, the majestic ruins of Yuan Shangdu, the boundless Golden Lotus Prairie covered with blooming golden lotus flowers, the distant oboo (signal mounds) on Longgang Mountain, and the winding, ever-flowing Shangdu River together form a beautiful prairie painting. The resort integrates entertainment, dining, showcasing of the Chahar folk customs, experiencing the nomadic lifestyle, as well as studying Mongol-Yuan history and Chahar culture. Covering an area of 0.91 square kilometers, it features five large permanent yurts as its main structures, surrounded by numerous traditional wooden yurts, accommodating up to 500 diners and 250 overnight guests. The site is fully equipped with tap water, flush toilets, showers, and other service facilities.

The region has a mid-temperate continental monsoon climate, with average annual sunshine hours ranging between 2,947 and 3,127. The average annual precipitation is 365 mm, while evaporation reaches 1,925.5 mm. The highest temperature is 35.9°C, and the lowest is -36.6°C. Winters are long and cold, springs are windy and dry, summers are brief and warm, and autumns are cool and moist. Temperatures fluctuate sharply with large diurnal variations, while sunlight duration is long and light energy abundant. Rainfall is unevenly distributed throughout the year, with an average annual wind speed of 4.5 meters per second, a frost-free period of 110 days, an average winter snow cover of about 180 days, and maximum snow depth of 20 cm.

The northern sandy areas feature shrub vegetation such as willow, sand wormwood, and grasses, typically forming plant communities of birch, shrub willows, forked-leaved knotweed, meadow rue, sand couch grass, sand wormweed, and Caragana microphylla. In the southern low mountain and hilly areas, the shaded slopes host patchy shrub forests, mainly consisting of hazelnut bushes, while herbaceous plants include Stipa baicalensis, Filifolium sibiricum, Leymus chinensis, and various wildflowers.

The Summer Palace is situated on the Golden Lotus Prairie in Zhenglan Banner, Inner Mongolia. In the summer of 1275 AD, Marco Polo arrived in Shangdu. Emperor Kublai Khan received him in the Da’an Palace in Shangdu and tasked him with traveling and gathering information across the land. In his “Travels,” Marco Polo vividly described the prairie landscapes around Yuan Shangdu and various wondrous sights, including flocks of swans and white cranes flying over the ancient city. He also noted how the Mongol emperor designated hunting-prohibited zones around Shangdu to allow wildlife to thrive. The grasslands surrounding Shangdu were home not only to wild deer, wolves, foxes, gazelles, and rabbits but also to numerous swans, eagles, white cranes, grey cranes, wild ducks, and herons. These birds fed, played, and bred in the plains, lakes, marshes, and woods, creating a spectacular scene. With ongoing ecological conservation efforts, thousands of migratory birds have returned to the Summer Palace prairies. As tourism developed, a unique Mongolian camp was established here—featuring dazzling traditional Mongolian costumes, richly cultural yurts, and lively ethnic performances—that together paint a one-of-a-kind portrait of Mongolian culture.