Nanshan Tourist Area, Horinger County

Nanshan Tourist Area in Horinger County is a national AAAA-level scenic spot boasting an advantageous location. It lies 36 kilometres south of Hohhot with convenient transportation. National Highway 209 runs through the scenic zone, and Shengli Road links the tourist area with the downtown of Horinger County.

The tourist area is endowed with abundant tourism resources, including cultural landmarks such as the China Famous Pavilion Garden, China Coin Altar, Three-Sided Guanyin Statue and Dongshan Calligraphy Art Garden. Peonies have been cultivated here for more than a decade across an area of 500 mu, covering over 100 varieties, among which more than 30 rare strains including Jindaiwei and Bingqing are grown. The Shengle Peony Tourism Festival, successfully held for six consecutive sessions, has evolved into a grand gala driving Horinger’s economic growth, a showcase of the city’s image and an iconic cultural and ecological calling card.

The scenic area features highly malleable natural landscapes. Situated at the transitional zone between the Inner Mongolian Plateau and the Loess Plateau, it boasts diverse landforms that perfectly embody the distinctive land features of both plateaus. Surrounded by abundant supporting tourist attractions, it benefits from the spillover development momentum of nearby sites: Mengniu Industrial Park (a national AAAA-level industrial tourism destination), Zhaojun Tomb (a national AAAAA-level scenic spot), Shahu Pass – the vital thoroughfare of the historical Migrant Trek to the West, as well as the Ancient Shengle City and Shengle Museum.

Dongshan Calligraphy Art Garden is located within Nanshan Tourist Area on the south bank of the Baobei River in Chengguan Town, Horinger County, covering a land area of 500 mu. Integrating calligraphy and seal carving, paper-cut art, cultural leisure and sightseeing, it is a fledgling cultural theme park that serves as a miniature showcase of traditional Chinese culture.

The overall layout of Dongshan Calligraphy Art Garden consists of the Main Gate, Seal Garden, Chinese Zodiac Garden, Hundred Family Surnames Zone and Winding Peony Corridor. The inscribed title of the garden was written by the renowned calligrapher Mr. Fan Zeng. At the centre of the Seal Garden stands a massive 106-ton boulder carved with an inscription commemorating the founding of Dongshan Calligraphy Art Garden. The garden collects sixty exquisite seal carvings featuring famous figures from ancient and modern Inner Mongolia, the names of all leagues and banners, and renowned scenic spots, reflecting the profound long-standing history and culture of Inner Mongolia.

The Chinese Zodiac Garden adopts zodiac motifs shaped in Horinger’s local paper-cut style, presented via full-round carving and flat relief carving. It illustrates Horinger’s profound cultural heritage as the “Hometown of Chinese Folk Paper-cut Art” and displays the unique charm of local paper-cut craftsmanship. The Hundred Family Surnames Zone arranges surnames in the classic traditional order. Experts from the Inner Mongolia Calligraphers Association selected representative character writings by distinguished ancient calligraphers, which are carved on stone slabs, demonstrating the profound and extensive essence of Chinese calligraphy.

Built in harmony with the natural mountain terrain, Dongshan Calligraphy Art Garden blends seamlessly with its surroundings. It is planted with 40,000 trees of 15 varieties and 15 mu of lawn, achieving a green coverage rate of 89%. Designers fully utilise the ornamental shapes, colours, fragrances and rustling sounds of plants to create distinct seasonal vistas: blooming flowers in spring, dense cool shade in summer, gorgeous foliage in autumn and lush evergreen scenery in winter. With picturesque views all year round and stunning sights everywhere, it stands as an exemplary landscape garden.

The construction of Dongshan Calligraphy Art Garden carries high artistic, ornamental and cultural exchange value. It offers calligraphy enthusiasts a tranquil garden to appreciate the true essence of calligraphy, provides local residents with an elegant, distinctive venue for cultural leisure activities, and adds a brand-new tourist landmark to Horinger County that showcases the art of calligraphy alongside the county’s profound history and culture.

Tourism Hotline: 0471-7194698