When I saw the street lamps all shaped like horses' heads, usually in a pair and sometimes in four, I knew I had arrived at the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a place reputed for its unrestrained spirit, evoking images of chivalrous men on horseback against the backdrop of boundless prairie.

Most travelers visit Hulun Buir, in the northeastern part of the region, during the summer, from July to September. So in early June, the place was still in laid-back mode, with its 2.7 million citizens scattered sparsely across a vast area of 263,900 square kilometers. But last year alone, the number of visitors here was four times larger than its population.

June is not a bad time to go. The forests and grass are green, and the temperature in the daytime isn't too high. A shirt makes you cool under the sun, while at night a medium-thick coat gives enough warmth.

Nights at three distinctive places

I booked a five-day trip online with a Chinese agency, and the first and the last days were just for transportation.

During the three days inside Hulun Buir, I went to Hailar district, Manzhouli City, Ergun River, Hulun Nur Lake and a regiment of yurts in Ewenki Autonomous Banner. Each night was spent in a different place, which showed off distinct characteristics of Hulun Buir.

Hailar, the capital of Hulun Buir, was my first and also final stops there. Like many other cities in China, Hailar is very urbanized, with all kinds of facilities, squares and shopping malls.

The city's appearance is sort of monotonous, and even when you find a few buildings with a different style, they usually turn out to be government offices or financial firms.

However, when night comes, the city starts to become romantic and charming. Street lamps and building lights in the whole district seem to have been coordinated, as they all feature a harmonious palette of silver and golden colors.

The two bridges - Hasa'er Bridge, decorated with pillars topped with sculptures of horse heads, and Central Bridge (pictured above), with its European-style towers - are the most impressive landmarks of the city.

Besides the soothing night view, the city has some famous tourist spots, such as Genghis Khan Square, Hailar National Forest Park and Hulun Buir Nationality Museum.

But the square, known as the largest square in Inner Mongolia, offers no special entertainment from any other common Chinese city, just your usual toy and food vendors and groups of square dancers.

The forest park is so big and becomes a bit confusing for tourists to figure out their routes due to poor instructions, while pine trees that are hundreds of years old remain the major attraction in it.

Prairie Nadam

A rider tries to snatch bank notes while on horseback. Photos: Sun Shuangjie/GT

It is true that outside of the small area of cities, Hulun Buir is all grasslands. And on the grasslands, the one activity you cannot miss is horse-riding and watching a Nadam - literally, Mongolian games.

On the way between the Ergun River scenic spot and Manzhouli City, we stopped at a small-scale racetrack. For 200 yuan ($30.35), I was able to ride a horse for a long route, about 30 minutes; the shorter ride cost 100 yuan, for about 15 minutes.

The stable hands there were very careful about the riders' security, especially females, and when the horses marched a little faster, they would call them to halt.

Nadam includes different kinds of contests, and I watched three: horse racing, wrestling and snatching bank notes off the ground from horseback.

The last game was the most exciting one, as the more money you gave for a prize, more horse riders would join the competition.

If you're not interested in physical activities, the prairie won't disappoint you with its stunning scenery. The clouds offer hundreds of shapes and variations during the day, while at dusk the sky fades from orange to red to purple, making every corner of the grasslands a poetic picture.

Nowadays, hotels on the prairie have modern accommodations. I spent one night in a house (below) that was built of concrete, but looked like a yurt outside. But, hot water may not be available 24/7; my hotel only offered it at night.

Between China and Russia

Located at the border with Russia, Hulun Buir also has a handful of tourist sites that introduce Russian culture as well, such as Manzhouli City.

Several buildings there feature steeples as well as ice cream-like domes (below), and two buildings are even shaped like matryoshka dolls - one is a Russian restaurant that is credited in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest matryoshka doll in the world.

Russian cuisine is popular on the streets of Manzhouli, and Lubulixi, one of its most famous Russian restaurants, often attracts crowds of gourmands, with waiting times up to an hour to be seated.

Besides Russian cuisine, Manzhouli offers northeastern Chinese food at reasonable prices. Among the Chinese dishes, roasted lamb and a bottle of milk tea are not to be missed.