Huolin Gol is a place to amaze. The name conjures images of meadows and rivers, and the county-level city, once known for its open-cut mine, now boasts local abundant energy resources and spectacular scenery.

Name: Huolin Gol (a.k.a. Holingol or Huuliin Gol; pinyin: Huòlínguōlè)

Location: Located in the southern part of the Greater Hinggan Mountains, it is the hinterland of Horqin Grassland and the northernmost and westernmost county-level division of Tongliao, Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Area: 585 square kilometers

Population: 81,118 (2012)

Ethnic Groups: Mongolian, Manchu, Hui and Korean

Topography:

Part of the west ridge of the southern Greater Hinggan Mountains, the terrain of Huolin Gol is divided into hills, stacked landforms and alluvial plains. It is Huolin Gol’s most striking geological feature. 

In the northwestern part, it is composed of volcanic rocks forming medium and small hills, with an elevation of 1,100-1,300 meters. The average altitude of Huolin Gol is 1,000 meters.

Climate: The climate is a typical semi-arid continental one with long-term freezing winters and quite short cool summers. The annual average temperature is 0.9 C.

Nature Resources:

Mineral resources mainly include coal mines, salt, silica, and limestone.

coal reserves--11.9 billion tons

salt reserves--23.28 million tons

silica reserves-- 50 million tons

limestone reserves--11.49 million tons

mineral water reserves--70 million cubic meters

Wind Energy:

The city belongs to the second-level wind energy zone, with an average annual wind speed of 5.8 m/s at the height of 10m, and an annual average wind energy density of 291 watts/m². Two wind power plants have been built with an installed capacity of 150,000 kilowatts.

Economy:

In the past five years, Huolin Gol has consistently adhered to the principle of striving for steady progress and sustainable development, maintaining upgrades in both economic quality and efficiency. 

From 2013 to 2017, its GDP exceeded the threshold of 30 billion yuan ($4.5 billion), with an average annual increase of 8.2 percent. Full-caliber fiscal revenue reached 3.2 billion yuan, an increase of 6 percent year-on-year. Per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents came to 40,500 yuan, 1.5 times the figure five years ago. 

It was ranked 75th among China’s top 100 medium and small counties and was recognized as one of the most potential place for business investment. In December 2017, it was ranked 10th among West China’s top 100 counties.

All the above economic data is from the government work report of Huolin Gol released in November 2017.

Industries:

Huolin Gol mainly focuses on developing advantageous industries including aluminum, coal, electric power, tourism and husbandry, and is keen on boosting emerging industries like new materials, clean energy, transportation and delivery.

Tourism:

A typical guided tour in Huolin Gol includes the Khan Mount Scenic Spot, Huolin River, Jinghu Lake and Guai Mount. Local diverse ethnic customs and events including Horqin grassland weddings and horse races draw thousands of tourists every year.