Inner Mongolia • Dashengkui Museum Cluster • Cultural Heritage

One Dashengkui, Half of Guihua City. I never expected to find such a hidden gem, a museum cluster unknown even to locals, nestled near Dazhao Temple in the bustling heart of Hohhot! Dashengkui, the largest Mongolian trading firm during the Qing Dynasty, boasted over 20 million taels of silver and tens of thousands of pack camels at its peak. It had branches, tea houses, silk shops, warehouses, livestock markets, and camel farms throughout Mongolia and mainland China, including Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, and Tianjin. 📍📍📍 Address: Intersection of Desheng Street and Lvzumiao Street, Yuquan District ⏰⏰⏰ Museum Hours: 9:00 am–12:00 pm, 2:00–6:00 pm Park Hours: 9:00 am–11:00 pm (Closed on Mondays) 🌟 Museum The park houses a Currency Museum, a Morin Khuur Museum, and an exhibition of ancient Chinese ceramics. I might have arrived too early as there were very few people around. I only managed to see the ceramics exhibition, which was beautifully curated! There's also a beautiful stamp you can collect! 🌟 Intangible Cultural Heritage Experiences The park offers hands-on experiences with intangible cultural heritage crafts like leather painting, paper cutting, and tie-dyeing. In a quiet corner, I stumbled upon a cultural heritage repair workshop (the owner was engrossed in his work, his cat lounging lazily beside him. I can only imagine how pleasant such a life must be!). Next to the Yuanshengde historical site, there's also a calligraphy and painting studio, unfortunately not open to the public. 🌟 Historical Site The Yuanshengde historical site, located deeper within the park, showcases the architectural style of northern China in the last century. Enclosed by brick walls, you can glimpse old trees peeking over the walls from within the courtyard. 🌟 Jiangnan Garden A small area within the park has been designed in the style of a Jiangnan garden, named "Mustard Seed Garden." I happened to see two elderly people basking in the sun on a bench—such a beautiful scene, I couldn't resist capturing it. Dashengkui was the largest multinational trading firm in China, rising to prominence on the Inner Mongolian grasslands during the Qing Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Wang Xiangqing, Zhang Jie, and Shi Daxue established the Dashengkui trading house in Shahukou, Youyu, Shanxi Province, later moving its headquarters to Guihua City (present-day Hohhot). Dashengkui primarily engaged in pawnbroking and banking, dealing in tea, livestock, fur, medicinal herbs, daily necessities, and banking services. Its trade network spanned China, Mongolia, and Russia. The firm thrived for three centuries, creating a miracle in Chinese commercial history. Dashengkui transported goods such as silk and tea from southern China by camel caravan to various locations in Outer Mongolia, including Khovd and Uliastai. Its trade activities extended as far as Moscow, Tomsk, and Yakutsk, forming a unique "Tea Road" and other trade routes across the vast expanse of northern China.