Hohhot [key], city (1994 est. pop. 683,200), capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, N China. The terminus of caravan routes to Xinjiang and to the Republic of Mongolia, Hohhot is also connected by rail with Beijing and is a trade center for NW China. Manufactures include chemicals, textiles, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, construction materials, and beet sugar and other processed foods. Hohhot consists of two sections. The old town is a Mongolian political and religious center dating from the 9th cent. It was the seat of the Living Buddha until his removal (1664) to Urga (see Ulaanbaatar). The newer Chinese section, which grew around the railway station after 1921, is the administrative center. Hohhot is the seat of Inner Mongolian Univ., a medical college, and several technical institutes. The city was called Guisui (Kweisui) until 1954.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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