Hulunbeier — an expanse of grasslands the size of England — is one of the new tourist hotspots in China. I spent about three weeks there this July, as well as a good deal of time on the road to and from Harbin and Manzhouli, and on local busses to places like Ganzhuer Temple, on the border with Mongolia.

The purpose was to get to see as much of the countryside as I could (oh boy was that ever successful), meet as many people as I could (ditto there), and to set up a collaboration with some wonderful scholars at Hulunbeier University (three for three!). So I’ll be spending a lot of time there in the future. In the meantime, here’s some pics of my friend Nasuk and I booting around Hulunbeier and Manzhouli. I’m guessing the -40 degree winter might look a little different.