With Mountains in Spring, Gourmet Food, Travel and Shopping, and Cultural Tours, Hulun Buir “Standing Out” this May Day Holiday

On May 1, Wang Liang and his family from Heilongjiang province drove to Zhalantun, where azaleas in full bloom look like a sea on mountains in the Azalea Ecological Park. “The yellowish grassland interspersed with rosy azaleas is unique and charming, and Xing’an azaleas deserve the reputation,” Wang Liang was amazed at the sea of azaleas all over the mountains.

Image: Azaleas are in full bloom in the Azalea Ecological Park in Zhalantun.

During the “May Day” holiday, Hulun Buir launched 10 high-quality tourist routes, 186 themed activities, and over 400 cultural tourism products, and opened all the available A-level tourist attractions across the city, to make all efforts to create a feast of culture and tourism by providing both benefits and privileges, according to Hulun Buir Media Convergence Center.

“Charming Inner Mongolia – Diversified Intangible Cultural Heritage” Cultural Fair was started simultaneously. At the cultural fair, over 30 representative intangible cultural heritage items and inheritors from Ewenki Autonomous Banner and New Barag Right Banner made their debuts. During the holiday, local citizens and visitors appreciated techniques in the intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall, immersed themselves in the artistic atmosphere in the oil painting exhibition hall, bought creative products based on intangible cultural heritage at the cultural fair, tasted traditional food in the gourmet food exhibition zone, and exchanged favorite books in the “flea market of books”. The apprenticeship hall is the most desirable place, where visitors could talk with inheritors and get an interesting experience of making intangible cultural heritage products in person.

“We had mouth-watering kebabs just off grills and local pure milk ice cream, wandered around the cultural fair, attended the intangible cultural heritage exhibition, and took pictures beside Mongolian yurts in the ancient city. It feels so pleasant as if we had travelled without leaving home.” On the first day off, Han Mo and his friends from Hailar rushed at once to the fair in the ancient city of Hulun Buir and the Xishan Night Market for relaxation.

The Huoerqi Town Cherry Picking Garden of Arun Banner is bustling with people. “Cherries Awaiting You – Joy of Picking” Rural Revitalization Demonstration Garden 2nd Picking Season has kicked off, where over 10 entertaining and relaxing experiences are attracting visitors from surrounding areas, including cherry picking, experience of agricultural skills, family games, camping and recreation, agricultural products and intangible cultural heritage sales exhibition.      

Arun Banner combines featured picking activities and rural tourism, integrating orchards and gardens to create a route stringing the three tourist destinations of the sweet cherry picking garden, the azalea mountain in Lixin village, and the apricot flower slope extending for miles, which enriches and improves tourist experience and promotes the integrated development of “agriculture + culture + tourism”. Huoerqi Cherry Industry Demonstration Park can receive nearly 27,000 visitors every year.

Zhang Yijun, a tourist from Jilin province, travelled to Daur Autonomous Banner of Morin Dawa. “People here are good at singing and dancing, and warm and hospitable. There is local wine and gourmet food. I have got an experience of field hockey at close quarters, which is an item of intangible cultural heritage. I am deeply impressed by the variety of ‘spring outing’ activities,” Zhang Yijun was immersed in the experience of “Spring” in Morin Dawa – Daur Folklore Tour.