A waxwork display in the General's Residence. Photo: IC

By Yue Hongyan

As the capital of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot is often seen by travelers as a great spot to learn about Mongolian culture, however, it is lesser known that Manchu culture also abounds in the remote grassland city, adding a unique ethnic legacy to the area.

"The city's history can be dated back to 1581, it was named Guihua at that time," professor Tong Jingren, an expert in Manchu culture, told the Global Times. "In 1739, another city named Suiyuan was built nearby during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), which is today's Hohhot," he said.

Tong, 68, is a descendant of Buxi, the third general of Suiyuan. His family has lived in the city for 260 years. Tong has spent 30 years researching Manchu and built the first private Manchu folk-custom gallery in China in 2003. Belonging to the descendants of Plain White Banners, one of the Eight Banners, or Qing nobility, Tong has devoted much of his life to preserving the cultural heritage of Manchu people.

Located in the suburbs of Hohhot and covering 900 square meters, Tong's gallery showcases Manchu traditions, including indoor and outdoor furnishings, paintings, calligraphy, clothing and wedding customs.

Walking into the yard of the gallery, a screen wall yingbi faces the gate and a suoluogan, a god with a bucket for worshipping ancestors can be seen, typical settings of Manchu people's homes, Tong explained.

"According to legend, a crow and a magpie once saved the life of Nurhachi (1559-1626, the founder of Manchu) and that's why we put corn into the bucket to thank the crow and magpie when we hold the ritual of worshiping ancestors," he said.

Tong has replicated a typical Manchu living room and bedroom including paper window decorations, a cradle hanging on the wall and a smoking pipe prepared for a single girl, which were three unique customs for Manchu people of the past.

He has collected hundreds of items for the gallery, with some dating back to the Qing Dynasty, including a copper pipe of his ancestor, 200 years ago.

Many valuable paintings donated given by famous Manchu painters, such as Puren, the brother of Puyi (1906-1967), the last Emperor of China, also hang in the gallery.

"In 1739, 11,827 Manchu came to build and relocate to the remote city on the grassland in order to ward off enemies from the vast northern desert and grassland. At that time, it was quite a modern and important city in the north, with 27 streets in a well-planned structure," Tong said.

"Several different ethnic groups have settled in Hohhot since that time, including Han, Mongolian, Hui and Manchu, which is quite unique in the whole country," Tong added. "For generations, the majority of Manchu people have spoken Chinese and many changed their identity to Han to avoid persecution after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and during the radical political movements in the mid-20th century. There are only 18,000 Manchu left in Hohhot today."

Princess Kurun Kejing's Mansion is located in Hohhot and with a history of more than 300 years, is also a great place to see Manchu culture up close. It is the only princess mansion from the Qing Dynasty left today in northern China. Kurun Kejing, the fourth daughter of the Kangxi Emperor, was the first princess to marry into Mon-golian royalty. Several Qing princesses once lived in Hohhot and were part of the Qing government policy of Manchu-Mongol intermarriage.

Tong Jingren worshipping ancestors Manchu style at his gallery. Photo: Yue Hongyan

"The building of the Princess Mansion signified close relations between the Qing court and Mongol tribe and the intermarriage between the princess and the khan of the local tribe helped strengthen the unity of ethnic groups and maintain unification of the whole country," explained Yan Xiaowu, vice director of Hohhot Museum, which is located inside the mansion.

According to Yan, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage provided more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) in 2004 to repair the mansion over five years. In 2009, it was opened to the public as a museum.

Tong said that Empress Cixi, the last Dowager Empress of China, lived in Hohhot with her father for four years when she was young, in Luofengjie, meaning phoenix street.

Tong said that along with the Empress' residence, many traces of Manchu in Hohhot have disappeared.

Still standing is the 271-year-old General's Residence. In 1997, the old building faced demolition, but with pressure from preservations, the General's Residence retained its original look and is one of 13 generals residences from the Qing Dynasty well-preserved today.

"There were altogether 67 generals who lived here," Tong explained. "In the past, it had 132 rooms, the largest building in Suiyuan. It was regarded as the political and military center of whole area."

In 2003, a renovated General's Residence opened to the public as a museum. Tong consulted on the project and now shares his knowledge of local history with visitors to the museum in his free time. During my visit, his resonant voice attracted many young people, keen to learn more about the facility.

Two gate steles with the words "written by the Qianlong Emperor" are treasured items at the museum and Tong is very proud of their discovery.

"You can see three languages on the steles, with Han, Manchu and Mongolian and when I wrote about my discovery of the steles in a newspaper, a Manchu elder from Taiwan called me to tell my findings were correct after he researched materials at the Palace Museum in Taipei," Tong said.

Tong's Manchu Folk-custom Gallery is open on appoinment. Princess Kurun Kejing's Mansion and the General's Residence are open everyday.