Bashang Grassland 坝上草原

The Bashang Grassland is an ideal place to escape the heat in summer. Located in Zhangbei County in Zhangjiakou of Hebei Province, the grassland is one of the closest summer resorts for the people of Beijing. A five-hour drive on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Expressway brings you to the Bashang Grassland, where temperatures are 5℃-10℃ lower than in Beijing and Tianjin. The grassland is the very place where Genghis Khan (1162-1227) once fought some eight centuries ago. The Mongolian Plateau rises abruptly from the Central Plain except in Zhangbei. Here Genghis Khan’s hordes could arrive at Beijing through a relatively gentle slope, and the southern troops, could access the Mongolian Plateau. Because of the gentle slope, numerous battles of historical importance were fought in Zhangbei. The tourist to the area can visit the ancient filed of Yehuling Battle, which was decisive in the destruction of the Nüzhen (Manchu) founded Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) by the Mongolian cavalries. Every year guests from the Republic of Mongolia visit the Monument to Martyrs of the Allied Army of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia, which is located in Zhangbei. The allied army fought their final battle against Japanese troops in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Invasion (1937-1945) in 1945 in the county. Because of its military importance and beautiful scenery, Zhangbei became the Zhongdu (central capital) of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) in 1307, but was abandoned in 1311 due to a financial crisis of the central government. Huge blocks of rammed earth and white marble structures, lying silent in the grassland, canbe seen at the remains of the grand capital. The central capital was built to be the most luxurious city of the Yuan Dynasty and sucked up the national treasury. With all wooden materials transported from southern China, the city was even more fabulous than the Great Capital at the site of today’s Beijing was during that period. This masterpiece by Genghis Khan’s offspring was burned down in 1358 though by rebelling Red Scarf Troops. Besides military functions. The Bashang Grassland also served life in peaceful times. Nowadays the grassland and nearby forests are the major defences against sandstorms, which plague North China every spring. In summer, the Bashang Grassland is among the favourite retreats of Beijing residents, who often spend weekends riding horses, picking Chinese red wolfberries and staying in Mongolian yurts on the grassland. Visitors can go boating on vast clear lakes such as Angulilao Lake and Taizi Lake, and enjoy delicious fish from the plateau lakes. Visitors can dip roasted and boiled mutton into various home-made spices and savour fresh mushrooms picked from the mountains nearby.

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