Perhaps you’ve longed for the lush green beauty of Xilingol in summer, or been captivated by its vibrant autumn hues—but you may not yet have witnessed the unique and passionate splendor of Xilingol in winter’s cold winds. Fish swim beneath the ice, birds tuck in their wings, hearths blaze warmly, and frost forms across the land: winter has arrived in Xilingol.
On November 24, across this expansive land, the launch ceremony of the “Fiery Ice and Snow, Warm Pastoral Melodies” 2018 Xilingol Winter Tourism and Winter Storage Season Experience event was held at the Tolihan Herders’ Home in Xiwuzhumuqin Banner, Inner Mongolia, officially kicking off the 2018 Xilingol winter journey. This winter, the Xilingol grasslands have designed six major winter festivals, launched three distinctive winter tourism routes, crafted four customized products, and organized a rich array of local activities across its banners and counties—giving you the opportunity to enjoy a season of “fiery ice and snow, and warm pastoral melodies.” From Mongolian cuisine and horsehead fiddle performances to ethnic songs and dances, herders’ lifestyles, and traditional winter games on the grassland, you’ll truly experience immersive travel and feel how this land ignites your “passion” and envelops you in “warmth.” Starting today, any weekend this winter—if you can set aside some time, whether by flight or road trip—Xilingol will offer you unforgettable experiences and the most memorable winter memories.
This event is hosted by the Xilingol League Tourism Development Commission and organized by the People’s Government of Xiwuzhumuqin Banner. It aims to leverage the region’s winter ice and snow resources, folk culture, and existing tourism, cultural, and sports festival activities across its various areas. By deeply exploring Xilingol’s ethnic customs, flavors, and culinary traditions, and using distinctive festivals as the thread and diverse route products as the focus, the campaign seeks to cultivate and promote a series of unique winter tourism offerings in Xilingol. The goal is to attract sustained visitor traffic, boost the visibility and appeal of Xilingol’s winter tourism, and achieve balanced development of tourism across all four seasons.
I. Key Festivals of the 2018 Xilingol Winter Journey
(1) Launch Ceremony of the 2018 Xilingol Winter Tourism and Winter Storage Season Experience
Date: November 24, 2018
Venue: Tolihan Herders’ Home, Xiwuzhumuqin Banner
Highlights: Centered around the traditional herders’ practice of winter meat storage, this event features a Xilingol food festival highlighting winter-stored meats. It creates a celebration focused on cuisine, herders’ winter life experiences, and fun, rustic games.
(2) Xilingol Mongolian Cuisine Top 8 Food Festival
Date: December 15, 2018 – January 1, 2019
Venue: Xilinhot
Highlights: Based on Xilinhot’s culinary showcases, this event runs through weekends, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays, featuring a food-themed program centered on the “Top 8 Mongolian Dishes of Xilingol.” It promotes the sale of Xilingol beef, mutton, and other livestock products, while allowing visitors to learn Mongolian cooking, explore local culture, and take part in related activities.
(3) Silver Xilingol Grassland Ice and Snow Nadam Fair
1. Xilingol Herders’ Traditional Winter Nadam & “Zhongyun Cup” Equestrian Culture Photography Competition
Date: December 22–23, 2018
Venue: Xilingol Traditional Herders’ Nadam Site
Highlights: Includes the launch ceremony for Xilingol’s winter tourism, the Xilingol Herders’ Traditional Winter Nadam, and the 3rd “Zhongyun Cup” International Equestrian Culture Photography Event.
Photo by Altaibayin
2. 16th Zhenglan Banner Hunshandake Winter Nadam
Date: December 29–30, 2018
Venue: Shangdu Lake Eco-Tourism Ranch, Zhenglan Banner
Highlights: Opening ceremony of the 16th “Hunshandake” Winter Nadam, hiking across the Hunshandake Desert, 30-km camel race in the desert, camel beauty contest, camel taming demonstrations, Mongolian horse beauty pageant, live Mongolian costume show, Shagai (bone dice) games, and the Herders’ Triathlon. Lunch features herders’ winter-stored meat, followed by an evening performance by the Ulan Muqir troupe.
Photo by Altaibayin
3. Silver Xiwuzhumuqin – Grassland Ice and Snow Nadam
Date: January 5–6, 2019
Venue: Xiwuzhumuqin Banner
Highlights: The Silver Xiwuzhumuqin Grassland Ice and Snow Nadam Festival, Ujimqin Horse Culture Festival, Ujimqin Camel Culture Festival, 5-a-side snow football tournament, “Ujimqin Cup” photography competition and exhibition, and the Herders’ Triathlon.
Photo by Altaibayin
4. The 13th Sonid Right Banner Camel Culture Tourism Festival
Date: May–June 2019
Location: Sonid Right Banner
Activities: Opening ceremony of the 13th Sonid Right Banner Camel Festival, Naomugen Gobi cycling and trekking event, photography featuring Mongolian winter attire and camels, soaking in grassland hot springs, watching the first performance of the Ulan Muqir on the grasslands, and visiting the Erlian border tourism area.
Photo by Altanbayin
(4) Xilin Gol Prayer & New Year Welcoming Event
Date: December 31, 2018 – January 1, 2019
Location: Xilinhot
Activities: Watch the sunset and bid farewell to 2018 at Pingding Mountain, sample the Eight Delicacies of Xilin Gol Mongolian Cuisine, enjoy a New Year’s concert with horsehead fiddle performances, welcome the first ray of sunlight of the new year atop Erdene Ovoo Mountain, and take home blessings written in Mongolian script from the grasslands.
(5) Duolun Ice Dragon Boat Festival
Date: January 2019
Location: Duolun County
Activities: Opening ceremony of the ice dragon boat race, snow and ice entertainment activities at Baiyin Tribe, Duolun Lake triathlon, tasting of the grassland hot pot, and experiencing ice dragon boat events.
(6) Hui Zong Temple Auspicious Sacred Flame Festival on the 15th Day of the First Lunar Month
Date: February 19, 2019
Location: Hui Zong Temple, Duolun County
Activities: Praying at Hui Zong Temple during the Lantern Festival, hiking at the “natural oxygen bar” Luanhe River Source, and playing in the snow at Baiyin Tribe.
II. 2018 Winter Tour in Xilin Gol: Featured Travel Routes
(1) Duolun–Zhenglan Banner Winter Adventure Tour (Self-Drive Route)
Day 1: Experience the triathlon at Duolun Lake Scenic Area, and join snow and ice entertainment at Baiyin Tribe Resort.
Day 2: Try ice dragon boating and winter fishing at Duolun Lake, participate in aerobic hiking and treasure hunting at Luanhe River Source.
Day 3: Experience life at a herder’s home in Zhenglan Banner, join herder-themed games and competitions, taste winter-stored meat, wear a traditional fur robe and take photos with camels, and spend a day as a grassland herder.
(2) Xilinhot Ethnic Art & Food Tour (Flight Arrival Route)
Day 1: Taste traditional Mongolian morning tea in Xilin Gol, hike up Erdene Ovoo, visit Prince Temple, join a Ulan Muqir session to learn Mongolian songs and dances, and attend a horsehead fiddle concert at the “Qi Bao Li Gao International Horsehead Fiddle Academy.”
Day 2: Enjoy traditional Naadam of grassland herders, experience the “Five Livestock Blessing” ritual, take outdoor photos in ethnic winter costumes, and take a class to learn and taste Mongolian cuisine.
(3) Xiwuzhumuqin Banner Folklore Tour (Flight Arrival Route)
Day 1: Taste winter-stored meat at the Tuolihan Herder’s Home, join herder-themed games, wear a Mongolian robe and take beautiful photos on the snowy grassland, and spend a day as a herder in the snow.
Day 2: Visit the “Three Manly Skills” Museum to learn about Naadam, ride in a wooden cart to experience the nomadic migration lifestyle, shop for creative ethnic products on the Folk Culture Street, experience the “Five Livestock Blessing” ritual, and bring home blessings from the grasslands.
III. 2018 Winter Tour in Xilin Gol: Four Customized Winter Products
(1) Celebrate Chinese New Year at a Herder’s Home
(2) Winter Boys' Courage Training Camp in Duolun
(3) Corporate Themed Annual Conference
(4) Entrepreneurs' Outbound Team Building Activity
IV. 2018 Xilingol Winter Tourism Series Activities in Each Banner/County
(1) Taibus Banner Grassland Ice and Snow Nadam Festival
Date: December 22, 2018
(2) Dong Ujimqin Banner Winter Nadam Festival
Date: December 28, 2018
(3) Zhengxiangbai Banner Chagan Sulede Worship Ceremony
Date: January 8, 2019
(4) Xianghuang Banner Chagan Sulede Cultural Tourism Festival
Date: January 8–9, 2019
Photographed by Altan Bayin
Winter in Xilingol is art — a sea of people gathered to admire the adorable camels in a beauty pageant, the thunderous gallop of majestic horses, the soul-stirring mass ice dragon boat races, the uniquely thrilling foreign culture experience tours, the adrenaline-fueled off-road adventures that stir every man’s heart, the heroic wrestling battles in the bitter cold, the noble elegance of archers drawing their bows on the field, and the bold spirit of warriors singing atop galloping horses with wine in hand.
Here, we’d especially like to introduce the Winter Storage Season Experience — a festival celebrating how herders store meat for winter and embrace the season’s lifestyle. Taste the most authentic Xilingol beef and mutton. The opening season highlights stewed bone-in beef and mutton as well as beef and mutton bones, so be sure to come and enjoy them during this time every year!
If you want to turn the “cold” into a cherished “warm memory,” come and take a winter trip to Xilingol. The grasslands will shower you with fiery enthusiasm and boundless skies full of imagination. This winter, I’ll be waiting for you in Xilingol. “Passion on Ice, Warmth in Pastoral Songs” — let’s have a blast together.