 |
Located in the northern reaches of Inner Mongolia, Hailar is
the largest city in the Hulunbuir Prefecture, with a total population
of around 220,000 and an area of 1440 square kilometers. The city,
as befits its remoteness, is not the most exciting of places,
a mainly industrial and agricultural area that sees few tourists.
Your most probable reason for visiting here is not for the city
itself but for the rolling grasslands that stretch for endless
miles, located not far away.The city has had some odd names in
its time, from the "pearl of the grassland" (Caoyuan
mingzhu), presumably when it was both smaller and an oasis of
action for the wandering herdsmen, to "a place with wild
leek" (Ye jiucai di), probably after the plants that used
to line both sides of the Hailar River. Perhaps the most interesting
feature of the city, however, is that it is a place a ethnic diversity.
There are 25 different resident minority groups in Hailar, including
the more common Han, Mongol and Hui and less prevalent groups
such as the Manchurians, Koreans, Ewink and Daur peoples.
| 
|
Bank
Post
office:
Hospital:
Police
Station:
please dail 110
The area around Hailar, is surprisingly easy to reach for such
a remote corner of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, although
it is still a long journey from most obvious destinations. Train
is almost always your best option, beyond flying. Hailar itself
has an airport that makes everything a lot easier.
Airport
Except for Monday, there are daily flights between Beijing
and Hailar, that take about two hours. Intra-province air transport
is also fairly convenient, although less frequent. It is possible
to fly to Hohhot (two and a half hours) and Xilinhot (two hours
and twenty minutes).Hailar Dongshan Airport is just 7km away from
the city proper (RMB20 by taxi). The airport bus departs from
the CAAC booking office (on Qiantou dajie, near to the Minzu Hotel)
for RMB3.
Railway
station
Binzhou Railway line traverses the city, linking it with Beijing,
Harbin, Hohhot, Baotou and Manzhouli. Train No.1301 departs Beijing
at 9:52 every day and arrives at Hailar about 30 hours later at
around 15:27 the following day. Other choices include the weekly
train K19 from Beijing to Moscow (departing at 23:10 every Saturday,
reaching Hailar at 2:20 the next day), train T439 from Harbin
(departing at 19:08 and arriving at 7:15 the next morning) and
train K274 from Baotou (leaving at 16:14 and arriving at 13:09
the next day). From Moscow coming the other way, there are also
one train a week that stops in Manzhouli and Hailar.The railway
station lies in the northwestern part of town. Advanced tickets
can be bought through CITS (0470-8224017, on the second floor
of the post office building [Jianfa dasha], Shengli dajie), or
in the Friendship Store (Youyi shangdian, beside the Friendship
Hotel).
Bus
station
Bus is not recommended for traveling around, since the city boasts
a good railway transport system. There is a long-distance bus
station on Chezhan jie, southeast of the railway station, where
you may find a buses to Manzhouli (3 hrs.).
city
transport
You may find an excess of taxis and motortricyles (RMB5 for
most errands) in town. Nevertheless, so long as you are not in
a hurry or venturing to the outskirts, you legs should more than
suffice.
Food
Shopping
Entertainment |
