Yulin

Introducing Yºl­n

A one-time garrison town with a smattering of local character inside its old earthen walls, Yºl­n 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 D ji¨ and N¡n D ji¨) has several restored buildings, including what appears to be an early 20th-century Bell Tower (Zh²ng L³u). Four kilometres north of Yºl­n are some badly eroded 15th-century sections of the Great Wall and a prominent four-storey beacon tower (zh¨nběit¡i; admission Y20; 8am-6pm).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009