Dingyuan Camp

Dingyuan Camp

Dingyuan Camp is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Dingyuan Camp is located on Wangfu Lane in Alxa Left Banner (Bayanhot Town), the seat of the Alxa League government in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In the 25th year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1686), Heshuoer, the grandson of Gushri Khan of the Mongolian ethnic group, submitted to the Qing government. Later, he made meritorious contributions in military campaigns in Qinghai and Tibet, was granted the hereditary title of prince, and his garrison was designated as Dingyuan Camp (present-day Bayanhot). In the 9th year of the Yongzheng reign (1731), the Qing government bestowed Dingyuan Camp upon Abao, the son of Heshuoer. After Abao’s son, Luobusangduorji, inherited the title, he built a family temple on the west side of the prince’s mansion. It was completed in the 8th year of the Qianlong reign (1743) and renovated in the 25th year of the Qianlong reign (1760), receiving the name Yianfu Temple, commonly known as Yamen Temple.

Dingyuan Camp faces south and covers an area of approximately 250,000 square meters. It has a courtyard-style layout with a unique design, featuring exquisite and grand architecture that blends Mongolian and Han Chinese architectural styles. The original complex included government offices, residences, temples, and gardens. The western courtyard still retains the main gate, main hall, and east and west side halls, while the eastern courtyard houses the residences of the prince’s family members. In the northeast, there is also a building constructed during the Republican era that combines Chinese and Western architectural elements.

The main components of Dingyuan Camp’s architecture include the prince’s mansion, Yianfu Temple, traditional residences, city walls, remnants of city gates, historical streets within the city, cultural heritage sites, and relics. These structures reflect the integration of mainstream Central Plains culture with Mongolian and Tibetan cultures, which is why Bayanhot Town is often referred to as the “Little Beijing” beyond the Great Wall.

In May 2006, Dingyuan Camp, as a historical architectural site from the Qing Dynasty, was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units