Hohhot
City and capital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China; population (2000) 1,020,200. It is an important industrial centre and trading hub between north and west China and Mongolia. Cotton and woollen textiles, furs, iron and steel, building materials, machinery, electronics, chemicals, flour, dairy goods, diesel engines, and tractors are produced. The city has Lamaist monasteries and temples.
History
Before 1954, Hohhot was known as Kweisui. It was the capital of the former province of Suiyuan, which was incorporated into Inner Mongolia in 1958, and in 1952 it replaced Kalgan (now Zhangjiakou) as the region's capital. Due to immigration in the first half of the 20th century, Chinese peoples outnumber the Mongolian population.
In 1957 Hohhot became the home of the first university in Inner Mongolia, incorporating veterinary and medical colleges.
| Rail lines lead to Beijing (725 km/450 mi to the east); Ulaan Baatar (Mongolia); and Baotou (145 km/90 mi to the west), and from there to Lanzhou. |
