Xilinhot

Xilinhot (Mongolian: ; Chinese: 锡林浩特市) is a county-level city which serves as the seat of government for the Xilingol League in Inner Mongolia, China. In 2010, it has a jurisdiction area of 14,785 km2 (5,709 sq mi) and a population of 245,886; 149,000 people live in the Xilinhot urban area.[3] During the Ming dynasty, the elder brother of Genghis Khan lived in Xilinhot area. As a result, the local Mongols were called Abganar, because Abgal in Mongolian means paternal uncle. When in the first half of the 17th century the Mongols submitted to the Manchu, the Abganar territories were divided into two banners: Abganar-Tszoitsi (Abganar left wing) and Abganar-Yuitsi (Abganar right wing). These wings were commanded by men in the rank of princes beile. The Abgal (阿巴嘎) and Hotsit (浩齊特) tribes also lived in the area. Xinlihot was renamed Beizi Temple (貝子廟) after the Qianlong Emperor built the Beizi Temple in 1743. Today, the Beizi temple is one of the largest temples on the Xilin Gol grassland. In 1914, Beizi Temple was included in the newly founded Chahar Special Administrative Region, which became the Chahar Province in 1928. Later it was included in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In 1953, the county was renamed Xilinhot, and then Abahanaer Banner in 1956. In 1983, it was approved for classification as a county-level city by the state council, and once more renamed Xilinhot.