The Inner Mongolian Garden: a Magnificent Scroll Painting of Northern Frontiers

In the due north of China lies the country’s first provincial-level ethnic minority autonomous region, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This land garrisons the motherland’s northern frontiers as an ecological barrier. This land is home to more than 2,000 varieties of grassland plants and a group of brave, hardworking people on horseback who have created a profound grassland culture.

At the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 Beijing (2019 Beijing Expo), under the theme of “a magnificent scroll painting of northern frontiers”, Inner Mongolia will be fully displayed as a splendid pearl scattered by the northern border of China. The scroll is divided into three chapters. Volume I is “Beautiful Grassland, My Home”, showing the scene of galloping coursers and flocks of sheep on the grassland. Volume II, by the title of “The Lofty Khingan Range”, shows the green pines and white birch of Greater Khingan Range and the distinctive customs of ethnic minorities in the grand forest. In the end, Volume III of “The Vast Desert” depicts a magnificent desert landscape for tourists.

“Beautiful Grassland, My Home”

Inner Mongolia has long been reputed as the “prairie paradise”, as it is home to 8,700 hectares of grassland, making Inner Mongolia the largest grassland and natural pasture in China as well as the largest reserved area of natural grassland in the world. Volume I “Beautiful Grassland, My Home” is the main display area in the garden. With flowered grass covering an undulating slope as the background, the scene not only presents the vast prairie landscape of Inner Mongolia, but also embodies how free, brave, open and inclusive the grassland riders are.

“The Lofty Khingan Range”

Most of the Greater Khingan Mountains are located in the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, making the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region a province with the largest forest area in the country. Volume II “Khingan Range” displays the dominant features of the Inner Mongolian forest landscape that highlights the white birch, larch and other regional plants, supplemented by a group of local-style houses, the “pinnacle shanties,” and reindeer-shaped horticultural facilities, combined with the primitive customs of the “three minorities,” jointly telling the wisdom of this land.

“The Vast Desert”

A visit to the western part of Inner Mongolia will treat your eyes to the mysterious vastness of the grand desert in Alxa. Inner Mongolia has the second largest desert area in China, and is also home to the world’s tallest sand mountain—Bilutu Peak. Volume III “The Vast Desert” displays the desert landscape, distinctive sand plants and sand barriers in Inner Mongolia to illustrate the scientific principles of sand control and the ecological restoration concept of coexistence between man and nature. The landscape sketch of a camel caravan reflects the accessibility and bustle of the Silk Road in the past. The standing huyang trees (Populus euphratica) represent perseverance and unyieldingness, reflecting the integrity of people in this land.

Overlooking the whole park, you will find the main tourist route presented in the shape of a winding environmentally friendly trail. It is not only a road to the economic and trade culture of the East and the West, but also a road to the great beauty of Inner Mongolia. It will take the audience on a trip to understand an Inner Mongolia full of life, and to cheer for Inner Mongolia. The shape of the garden road also simulates the khata, which represents the ebullience of the ethnic Mongolians, symbolizing that Inner Mongolia will welcome the people from all over the world with the most sincere enthusiasm.