[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/uncategorized\/hulunbuir-worlds-largest-city-by-landmass-is-far-flung-yet-culturally-diverse\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/uncategorized\/hulunbuir-worlds-largest-city-by-landmass-is-far-flung-yet-culturally-diverse\/","headline":"Hulunbuir, world’s largest city by landmass, is far-flung yet culturally diverse","name":"Hulunbuir, world’s largest city by landmass, is far-flung yet culturally diverse","description":"With the pandemic halting travel plans, many have turned to ‘virtual travelling’ to sate their wanderlust. For those yearning to catch a glimpse of other pockets of the world, TheHomeGround Asia brings you on a journey in Through the Eyes… where we ask expatriates in Singapore what they love most about their home countries. In […]","datePublished":"2021-05-27","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/ler-jun-sng\/#Person","name":"Ler Jun Sng","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/ler-jun-sng\/","identifier":320,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96c2c5ed54668ff02cc041326a58a56424181d9285b8f54cd192dd573e876ae5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96c2c5ed54668ff02cc041326a58a56424181d9285b8f54cd192dd573e876ae5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1622094916916_Mongolian_Huts_1280x626.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1622094916916_Mongolian_Huts_1280x626.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/uncategorized\/hulunbuir-worlds-largest-city-by-landmass-is-far-flung-yet-culturally-diverse\/","commentCount":"3","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/uncategorized\/hulunbuir-worlds-largest-city-by-landmass-is-far-flung-yet-culturally-diverse\/#Comment1","dateCreated":"2026-05-01 23:11:10","description":"Just what I was looking for.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"tv world live","url":"https:\/\/secure.pacificwhale.org\/np\/clients\/pacificwhale\/tellFriend.jsp?subject=AttendingAloha%2BFriday%3A%2BAn%2BEvening%2Bwith%2BJohn%2BCruz&url=https:\/\/www.oneotv.com\/"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/uncategorized\/hulunbuir-worlds-largest-city-by-landmass-is-far-flung-yet-culturally-diverse\/#Comment2","dateCreated":"2026-04-28 05:57:26","description":"Great job, keep it up!","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"skechers shoes women","url":"https:\/\/globalshoepalace.com\/product-category\/women\/skechers-women-shoes"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/uncategorized\/hulunbuir-worlds-largest-city-by-landmass-is-far-flung-yet-culturally-diverse\/#Comment3","dateCreated":"2026-04-24 08:38:30","description":"You\u2019ve got a new fan here!","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"womens salomon shoes sale","url":"https:\/\/globalshoepalace.com\/product-category\/women\/Salomon-Women-Shoes"}}],"about":["Uncategorized"],"wordCount":1348,"articleBody":"With the pandemic halting travel plans, many have turned to ‘virtual travelling’ to sate their wanderlust. For those yearning to catch a glimpse of other pockets of the world, TheHomeGround Asia brings you on a journey in Through the Eyes… where we ask expatriates in Singapore what they love most about their home countries. In this installation, Sales Director Hawk Gao reveals the low-down on the city of Hulunbuir. Located in the northeastern region of Inner Mongolia, China, Hulunbuir boasts expansive grasslands, Asia\u2019s largest wetland, short summers, and frigid winters.Just west of Manchuria in northeastern China, within the north-most region of Inner Mongolia, lies the prefecture-level city\u00a0of Hulunbuir. In terms of landmass, Hulunbuir spans over 269,953 square kilometres, roughly the size of New Zealand, and it is otherwise known as the ‘largest municipality in the world’. While one would expect cities to be laden with towering skyscrapers, dense housing and huge populations, the landscapes in Hulunbuir are far from that.Sparsely populated (about 2.5 million), Hulunbuir sees some of China\u2019s most unspoilt bits of wilderness: A blanket of green stretches across the expansive grasslands where sheep roam freely and yurt-dwelling families tend to their cattle or horses during the warmer climates. In winter, the temperature dips below -20\u00b0C and the cold transforms these famous grassy plateaus into an endlessly thick blanket of ice and snow, where it stays for months.\u00a0\u201cThe best time to visit is between June and August,\u201d says Hawk Gao, 43. \u201cThat\u2019s when you get friendlier weather and you can enjoy the beautiful view of the forests, grasslands, lakes, and mountains.\u201dA magnificent landscape of Hulunbuir, featuring a meandering river, lush green grassland, and rolling hills. (Photo by Hawk Gao)Mr Gao was born in a small village in Ergun City, Hulunbuir. At six years old, he moved to the Hailar district, or Hulunbuir\u2019s urban centre, where he lived with his grandparents and attended school there. It was only when he turned 17 that he left his hometown to pursue his university education in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province in central China. In December 2019, Mr Gao and his family \u2013 his wife and daughter \u2013 migrated to Singapore, where he leads the Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand sales team for a multinational corporation.\u00a0Embracing nature at Hulunbuir Prairie\u00a0For nature lovers, the wilderness in Hulunbuir is a sight to behold. For first-timers, making a trip to the Hulunbuir Prairie is a worthwhile investment. Praised as China\u2019s most beautiful grassland, the prairie offers an unhindered view of lush green grass, gently-rolling hills and meandering streams of river, all of which are set beneath the clear blue sky and the occasional silhouettes of mountains in the background.\u00a0As bumpy terrains are aplenty, the best way to travel within Hulunbuir, according to Mr Gao, is to rent an SUV and drive from one location to the next. Or you can seek a local to drive you around.\u00a0\u00a0The Hulunbuir Prairie is also home to the Golden Horde Mongolian Tribe, the only nomadic tribe that is open to tourists. There, you can get up close and personal with the nomads, witness the majestic Mongolian yurts that have been designed to resemble the ones back in the 12th and 13th centuries, partake in horse-riding, and more.\u00a0\u00a0Blossoming rapeseed flowers paint the otherwise emerald green prairie a shade of cheerful yellow. (Photo by Dashu Xinganling \/ Shutterstock)To Mr Gao, the expansive grasslands is a welcome respite for anyone wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of the cities: \u201cIf you decide to stay overnight, you\u2019d probably have dinner by the campfire where the people will serve you Chinese liquor, sing and dance. It gets really dark, so you can also see the stars at night too,\u201d he adds.\u00a0\u201cThere was once in the early-2000s that people from Beijing or Shanghai would flock to Hulunbuir to take pictures of the rolling green hills,\u201d Mr Gao recalls with a laugh, noting how the landscape in his hometown closely resembles the likes of the famous Windows XP computer wallpaper, Bliss. While the original photograph was shot by American photograph Charles O\u2019Rear in Sonoma County, California, in the late-90s, the resemblance of the two is somewhat uncanny. He says, \u201cThe locals were confused!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some landscapes in Hulunbuir resemble the famous Windows XP computer wallpaper Bliss. (Photo by Hawk Gao)A quasi-Russian fantasy within China\u2019s Inner MongoliaThe sub-prefectural city of Manzhouli in the western region of Hulunbuir sits right at the border of Russia and Inner Mongolia. This is also where the Trans-Siberia Railway crosses from China into Russia. Given its proximity to Russia, one can immerse in a great deal of Russian culture here.\u00a0Many buildings in Manzhouli have Russian architectural influences. (Photo by Hawk Gao)Restaurants and cafes that line the charming street are often seen offering Mongolian and Russian cuisines. Signage on the streets are written mostly in Chinese, Russian or Cyrillic, while most souvenir shops proffer Russian goods and curios, such as snacks and Matryoshka dolls, for tourists. With buildings constructed with austere thick walls, exotic shapes and colours, the architecture within the area also boasts some facet of Russian influences.\u00a0\u201cAt the Matryoshka Square, you can see plenty of large Russian nesting dolls decorating the grounds and the largest of the lot is a hotel,\u201d Mr Gao says.\u00a0This eye-catching hotel in Manzhouli tips hats to the Russian nesting dolls in Matryoshka Square. (Photo by Hawk Gao)And yet, it is only at night that the city truly shines.\u00a0At night, Manzhouli transforms into a city of gold. As the sun sets, skyscrapers, residential buildings and even street lamps light up and shower the city and its streets in warm, glorious gold. Such a scene is reminiscent of the shiny, neon-lit city of Las Vegas.\u00a0\u00a0Manzhouli lights up at night, turning the otherwise colourful town into a shower of gold. (Source: CGTN)Shiwei, home to Russian-ChineseSome 300 kilometres away from the Hailar District, lies the village of Shiwei in Ergun City. The quaint village, which is located in the northern region of Hulunbuir and happens to be situated beside the Russian border, is home to Russian-Chinese, one of the smallest ethnic minority groups in China.At Shiwei, traditional Russian log cabins, known as Mukeleng, can be seen scattered along the E\u2019erguna River. Spanning 1,620 kilometres, this river forms part of the Sino-Russia border. In other words, one bank of the E\u2019erguna River is Russian territory and it is connected to Shiwei by a run-of-the-mill ‘Friendship Bridge’.\u00a0\u00a0For Mr Gao, the village of Shiwei is a short 1.5 hours\u2019 drive away from his birth town, Inner Mongolia Suqin Ranch. Shiwei is also where some of his parents\u2019 friends reside. Occasionally, he would visit Shiwei to attend a wedding ceremony or go on a getaway to rejuvenate.\u00a0At Shiwei, Mukeleng are traditional Russian log cabins constructed using logs, stones, glass, and tiles. (Photo by Hawk Gao)On what he misses most about Hulunbuir, Mr Gao swiftly replies, \u201cThe people and culture. I still have a lot of childhood friends and relatives who are living there. And even though I am a Han person, Mongolian music and food are things that have become a part of my DNA. Now that I am based overseas, I still listen to Mongolian music sometimes. So, those are the things I miss most.\u201dSome useful phrasesIt is useful to have some basic phrases at hand, as using them could help to connect with the local population. In Hulunbuir, Chinese is widely spoken, but there are some who converse in Mongolian and Russian.\u00a0 When in Inner Mongolia, try these:Hello \u2013 \u4f60\u597d (Chinese) \/ privet (Russian) \/ sain-oo (Mongolian)Thank you \u2013 \u8c22\u8c22\/ Spasiba \/ bayrl-laaGood morning \u2013 \u65e9\u5b89 \/ dobroye utro \/ ogloonii mendGood bye \u2013 \u518d\u89c1 \/ do svidaniya \/ bayartaiGood night \u2013 \u665a\u5b89\/ spokoynoy nochi \/ saikhan amraaraiHow much is this? \u2013 \u8bf7\u95ee\uff0c\u8fd9\u4e2a\u591a\u5c11\u94b1\uff1f\/ skol\u2019ko eto stoit? \/ ene yamar unetei ve?Do you speak English? \u2013 \u4f60\u4f1a\u8bf4\u82f1\u8bed\u5417\uff1f\/ ty govorish po-angliyski\/ ta angliar yaridag uu?Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s\u00a0Facebook\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram, and get the latest updates via\u00a0Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Uncategorized","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/uncategorized\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hulunbuir, world’s largest city by landmass, is far-flung yet culturally diverse","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/uncategorized\/hulunbuir-worlds-largest-city-by-landmass-is-far-flung-yet-culturally-diverse\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]