History
The city was founded in 1581 by the Tumed Mongol ruler Altan Khan, in a marshy oasis on the steppes. The old city grew up around Buddhist temples and monasteries, some of which have been restored.
Altan Khan and his successors constructed temples and fortress in 1579, 1602 and 1727. The Tümet Mongols had long been semiagricultural there. Hui merchants gathered north of the gate of the city's fortress, building a mosque in 1693. Their descendants forms the nucleus of the modern Hui people's district.
In the 17th century, Han farmers began moving into the rich farmland around the city. After the Manchus founded the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Kangxi emperor (reigned 1661-1722) sent troops to control the region. The Qing Dynasty built a strong garrison town near Hohhot, supervising southwestern Inner Mongolia in 1735-39. In 1913, the government of the new Republic of China united the garrison town and Hohhot as Guisi. With the occupation of the Japanese Empire in 1937, the city was renamed 'Hohhot'. After World War II, Prince Demchugdongrub's autonomous government in Hohhot surrendered to the Republic of China.
It was chosen as the region's administrative centre in 1952, replacing Ulanhot. Until 1954, Hohhot was referred to in Chinese as Guisui (歸綏 pinying: Guīsuī, Wade-Giles: Kweisui), which is the abbreviation of the two districts of the city Guihua (歸化, arch. Kwei-hwa): Southeastern old section, business district, established by Altan Khan around 1580, and Suiyuan (綏遠): Northeastern "New Town", government district, established in the 17th century by the Manchus. The two sections later became Guihua District (歸化縣) of the Qing Empire, renamed to Guisui County (歸綏縣) in 1913, and upgraded to a city in 1950. It was the capital of the now-defunct Suiyuan Province. In 1952, under Inner Mongolian chairman Ulanhu, the city became the capital of Inner Mongolia. Suiyuan was annexed to the Inner Mongolian autonomous region two years later.
A city with a rich cultural background, Hohhot is known for its historical sites and temples and is one of the major tourist destinations of Inner Mongolia. It is also nationally known as the home of China's dairy giants Mengniu and Yili, and was declared "Dairy Capital of China" by the China Dairy Industry Association and the Dairy Association of China in 2005.
The city has seen significant development since China's reform and opening began. The city's far east side began development around 2000 and is now home to an artificial lake called Ruyi He, a large number of condominiums, the municipal government, and most of the Autonomous Region's government buildings. The Hohhot City Stadium was built on the city's north side.
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