Chifeng Overview

Chifeng City (赤峰市) is one of the most historically significant cities in Inner Mongolia, known as the birthplace of the Hongshan Culture and an important center of ancient northern civilizations. With its vast territory, rich cultural heritage, diverse ethnic traditions, and strategic location connecting Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Liaoning, Chifeng is developing from a traditional resource-based city into a comprehensive destination integrating culture, tourism, sports, agriculture, and commerce.

Basic Information and Geographic Location

Chifeng is named after the reddish mountain peak northeast of the urban area. It is one of the most important origins of prehistoric Chinese civilization, especially famous for the Hongshan Culture, where the discovery of the “Chinese First Dragon” jade carving established its reputation as the “Hometown of the Jade Dragon.”

The city was also a major political and cultural center of the Liao Dynasty, with important historical sites including the former capitals of Liao Shangjing and Liao Zhongjing located within its territory.

Climate Characteristics

Chifeng has a temperate semi-arid continental monsoon climate with four distinct seasons.

The climate features:

• Long and cold winters with strong winds and limited snowfall
• Short and warm summers with concentrated rainfall
• Dry springs with frequent winds
• Rapid temperature decline and early frost in autumn

The annual average temperature ranges approximately from 0°C to 7°C, while annual precipitation averages around 381 millimeters, gradually decreasing from southwest to northeast.

The relatively dry climate, abundant sunshine, and large temperature differences between day and night provide favorable conditions for grassland tourism, cultural sightseeing, outdoor activities, and agricultural development.

Neighboring Areas and Transportation

Chifeng occupies an important position within the Beijing Capital Economic Circle and Bohai Economic Rim, serving as a major gateway connecting Inner Mongolia with northern China.

It borders:

• Liaoning Province to the east
• Chengde City of Hebei Province to the southwest
• Xilingol League to the north

Chifeng is one of the closest cities in Inner Mongolia to China’s coastal ports, giving it strong regional connectivity.

Transportation infrastructure includes:

• Railway and High-speed Rail: Chifeng has entered the Beijing and Shenyang two-hour high-speed transportation circle, greatly improving accessibility for domestic and international travelers.
• Highways: Major expressways including the G16 Danxi Expressway and G45 Daguang Expressway pass through the city.
• Air Transportation: Chifeng Yulong Airport operates flights connecting Chifeng with major cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and other domestic destinations.

The city’s transportation advantages make it an important tourism gateway linking Beijing, Northeast China, and Inner Mongolia.

Population and Ethnic Groups

By the end of 2024, Chifeng City had a permanent resident population of approximately 3.931 million, making it the largest city by population in Inner Mongolia.

It is a multi-ethnic city with more than 30 ethnic groups, including:

• Han Chinese
• Mongolian
• Hui
• Manchu
• Other northern ethnic communities

Among them, the Mongolian population is close to 800,000, creating a unique cultural environment where grassland traditions, farming civilization, and northern frontier cultures coexist.

Cultural Characteristics

Chifeng’s cultural identity can be summarized through three major themes:

Hongshan Culture

As the birthplace of the Hongshan Culture, Chifeng represents one of the earliest centers of Chinese civilization. The archaeological discoveries here reveal the origins of early Chinese jade culture, ritual systems, and agricultural civilization.

Khitan Liao Culture

During the Liao Dynasty, Chifeng became a political and cultural center of the Khitan people. The remains of Liao Shangjing and Liao Zhongjing demonstrate the city’s historical importance in northern China.

Mongolian Grassland Culture

The surrounding grasslands preserve rich Mongolian traditions, including nomadic culture, horseback riding, traditional festivals, and pastoral lifestyles. Areas such as Hexigten Banner further enrich Chifeng’s cultural landscape through their combination of geological wonders and Mongolian heritage.

Together, Hongshan civilization, Khitan history, and Mongolian culture form Chifeng’s unique identity as a city connecting ancient Chinese civilization and northern grassland culture.

Economic Overview

Chifeng is one of the economically important cities in Inner Mongolia. In 2024, its regional GDP reached approximately 232.21 billion RMB.

The economic structure shows a modern service-oriented pattern:

Chifeng is actively developing strategic industries, especially lithium-based and aluminum-based industrial chains, while promoting green energy development and industrial transformation.

Tourism has become an increasingly important part of the city’s future economy, supported by its archaeological heritage, ethnic culture, grasslands, forests, and outdoor recreation resources.

Chifeng Culture and Tourism Bureau: Positioning and Inbound Tourism Development Strategy

The Chifeng Culture and Tourism Bureau is the government department responsible for cultural development, tourism planning, tourism industry management, and destination marketing.

Based on the Chifeng Integrated Development Plan for Culture, Tourism, Sports, Agriculture and Commerce (2026–2030), the city is promoting a new tourism development strategy centered on industrial integration and international destination building.

Core Positioning

Chifeng aims to become:

“A Leading Region for Integrated Development of Culture, Tourism, Sports, Agriculture and Commerce”

and

“A Nationally Recognized Tourism Destination.”

The tourism authority’s goal is to transform Chifeng from a sightseeing destination into a comprehensive tourism city featuring cultural experiences, leisure vacations, sports events, rural tourism, and commercial consumption.

The city focuses on turning its cultural heritage into immersive tourism experiences and developing products suitable for both domestic and international visitors.

Tourism Development Planning and Key Measures

Building a Five-Year Tourism Development Framework

By 2030, Chifeng aims to:

• Receive more than 50 million tourists annually
• Achieve tourism consumption exceeding 55 billion RMB

The city will strengthen destination branding, improve tourism infrastructure, and expand international and domestic tourism markets.

Developing Integrated Tourism Products

Chifeng is promoting the integration of tourism with multiple industries:

• Culture + Tourism: Transforming archaeological heritage, museums, and intangible cultural heritage into tourism experiences
• Sports + Tourism: Developing grassland sports events, outdoor competitions, and recreational activities
• Agriculture + Tourism: Expanding rural tourism, agricultural experiences, and pastoral vacations
• Commerce + Tourism: Creating tourism consumption areas and cultural commercial districts

This “multi-industry integration” strategy aims to extend visitor stays and increase tourism value.

Creating Major Tourism Brands and Destination Routes

The tourism authority is developing:

• Large-scale tourism routes connecting grasslands, historical sites, and ecological areas
• Regional tourism loops linking Chifeng with Beijing, Hebei, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia
• Modern tourism complexes combining culture, leisure, entertainment, and recreation

The city is also promoting distinctive tourism IPs based on Hongshan Culture, Khitan heritage, Mongolian traditions, and ecological landscapes.

Developing New Tourism Experiences

Chifeng is focusing on emerging tourism formats including:

• Immersive cultural performances
• Museum and archaeological tourism
• Non-heritage cultural experiences
• Outdoor sports tourism
• Rural leisure tourism
• Digital cultural tourism products

The strategy is to make history and culture more interactive, allowing visitors to experience rather than simply observe local heritage.

2026 “Five Major Actions” for Tourism Innovation

The city plans to create:

• One immersive cultural tourism scene
• One boutique tourism experience format
• One major emotional tourism attraction, such as sports events
• One distinctive cultural and creative product
• One influential tourism brand IP

Through these initiatives, Chifeng aims to strengthen its reputation as a nationally influential cultural tourism destination and gradually expand its appeal among international travelers seeking history, nature, ethnic culture, and authentic northern China experiences.