Yúlín

Introducing Yúlín

A one-time garrison town with a smattering of local character inside its old earthen walls, Yúlín is a rapidly expanding outpost on the fringes of Inner Mongolia’s Mu Us Desert. If you happen to be passing through – following the Great Wall, or visiting Genghis Khan’s Mausoleum – this is a good place to break up the trip.

The main north–south pedestrian street in the elongated old town (divided into Běi Dàjiè and Nán Dàjiè) has several restored buildings, including what appears to be an early 20th-century Bell Tower (Zhòng Lóu). Four kilometres north of Yúlín are some badly eroded 15th-century sections of the Great Wall and a prominent four-storey beacon tower (zhènběitái; admission Y20; 8am-6pm).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009