Chifeng Local Shopping & Specialties

Chifeng is reputed as a “dryland trade hub”. Besides typical grassland specialties from Mongolian steppes, mineral stones represented by Balin Stone stand out as the highlight of local shopping. Major shopping venues including Chifeng Shopping Mall and Tongxing Market stock a full range of local and surrounding goods, making them ideal spots to buy tourist souvenirs.

Balin Stone takes its name from Balin Right Banner in Chifeng, where it is mined. Boasting gorgeous varied hues and unique natural veins, it features a mild, smooth texture ideal for carving, collection and appreciation. As a top-tier stone favored by sculptors and stone collectors, it ranks among China’s Four Famous Seal Stones and is a candidate for China National Stone.

Saifeiya Grassland Ducks are raised in the natural, green, pollution-free environment of Inner Mongolia. Its breeding farms and duckling incubation bases are built amid hills and woodlands, forming a distinctive breeding model of farms nestled in forests with woods scattered inside the compounds. It is the first duck product nationwide certified as a Green Food.

Exquisitely crafted imitation Liao porcelain integrates authentic ancient craftsmanship with grassland styles, embodying rich ethnic charm with an almost indistinguishable resemblance to genuine antiques. This handicraft representing local Chifeng culture is a popular tourist souvenir appreciated by all, perfect for collection or gifting.

Air-dried beef is a traditional food of Inner Mongolia’s ethnic minorities with a history dating back to the Tang Dynasty. It delivers rich grassland beef aroma, featuring a dry exterior and tender interior with a mellow lingering aftertaste, making it the most iconic grassland delicacy.

Linxi Crystal originates from Longtou Mountain on the outskirts of Linxi County, Chifeng. A type of gemstone, it is refined into natural crystal crafts through elaborate traditional processing. Wearing crystal jewelry is believed to offer health and beauty benefits. Local customs hold that natural crystal ornaments are auspicious talismans to ward off evil and bring good fortune.

Traditional Mongolian handicrafts feature strong ethnic characteristics, including ethnic costumes, accessories, Mongolian boots, Hada scarves, miniature yurts, Mongolian knives, silver wine sets, bows and arrows, horsewhips, horn crafts, leather animal sculptures, cowhide paintings and bone carvings. They are excellent choices for personal collection or gifting to relatives and friends.

Made from wild local seabuckthorn berries, this premium all-natural botanical beauty drink is hailed as the “Queen of Vitamin C” for its extraordinarily high natural VC content. Medicinally, it helps eliminate phlegm, nourish the lungs, invigorate the spleen, dissipate blood stasis, lower blood pressure, resist cancer and aid weight loss. It contains vitamin E, 18 essential amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids, offering outstanding immunity-boosting, anti-aging and health-care effects.

Abundant edible wild vegetables grow across Chifeng’s vast grasslands and forests: daylily, Tibetan greens, almonds, bitter herbs, mountain celery, wild chives, dandelion, wild white mushroom, harahai and more. All-natural and pollution-free, they boast great flavor, rich nutrition and medicinal value to strengthen the body and prevent illness. Commercially sold wild vegetables are freshly harvested, pickled or air-dried then vacuum-sealed. Stir-frying or cold mixing them creates delicious, healthy dishes.

Brewed from fresh grassland milk using ancestral formulas combined with modern scientific techniques, Mongolian milk wine is nutrient-rich nutritional health liquor. It delivers pure milky notes, crystal clarity, an inviting delicate fragrance, soft smoothness and a well-balanced long aftertaste. It has a low alcohol content with a sweet-and-sour taste; while mild at first sip, it carries a gentle mellow lingering strength without harming the body.

Beyond its delicious flavor and nutrition, milk wine is indispensable for Mongolian hospitality. Local custom requires three toasts upon meeting. When distant guests arrive, hosts present Hada scarves and wine, singing grassland welcome melodies to propose a toast, wrapping visitors in warm festive cheer.