The Great Chinese Journey: Ulan-Ude - Ulaanbaatar - Erlian - Datong. How to get cheaply from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing China Inner Mongolia Erlian Huoto

Approaching the Chinese border, we witnessed a magnificent sunrise in the steppe. The darkness was gradually cut by the timid glances of the sun peeking out from behind an absolutely flat horizon, and then, gathering its strength, it confidently drove away the remnants of the night. At 6 am the train arrived at the station in the city of Zamyn-Uund. Passengers pouring out of the train immediately fell into the tenacious clutches of the masses of carriers, money changers and various traders located on the station square. The border region surprised us with an insane number of UAZ cars. Having exchanged the remaining tugriks for yuan, we boarded the bus and soon headed towards the border. The bus was jam-packed with Mongols; closer to the border, merchants passing by supplied them with some kind of liquor in jars. The entire cabin was filled with the most disgusting smell; it became possible to breathe only through the open window.

Fortunately, we soon reached the checkpoint and without any problems we were in China within 30-40 minutes. The Chinese border city of Erlian was strikingly different from Mongolia. There are green lawns, palm trees dotted here and there, and brand new hotels awaiting the arrival of the first guests. The ubiquitous Mongolian UAZs were quietly replaced by brand new Toyotas. The streets became clean, even the weather changed for the better. Having bought bus tickets to Beijing, we went for a walk around the city. Having decided to have a snack, we went to the first cafe we came across. The pictures on the menu did not make it much easier to understand the composition of a particular dish; I had to rely entirely on intuition. Having little idea of Chinese cuisine and the size of portions, we chose three dishes that seemed the most delicious and satisfying. The first dish was an incredible mixture of meat, cheese, eggs, some vegetables and who knows what else, but it tasted edible, although quite spicy. The portion was large even for two. The second course is fish with pieces of very hot pepper and vegetables. Again, a huge portion, and very spicy. The third dish was scary to even try; it looked like a mixture of beans with pieces of fried pork skin. Only the cook knew for sure what it really was. The Chinese people around us, cafe visitors, looked in surprise at how we would gobble it all up. But we, having eaten only about a third of the dishes brought, felt that we could not handle more and, having paid, went towards the bus station. Lunch also pleased us with its price; these three huge dishes plus beer and tea cost us only 10 dollars.

Our bus, a “sleeper,” had an unexpected interior design, three rows of two reclining shelves, with your legs in a box under the head of your neighbor in front. My height was naturally different from the average Chinese person, so I felt very uncomfortable. At the exit from Erlian, large figures of dinosaurs were installed on both sides of the road, and even entire scenes were made from them, depicting the difficult life of dinosaurs. From all appearances, this should have reminded us that the famous “dinosaur cemetery” is located nearby, a desert in which there is a huge amount of bones of ancient animals. Soon we witnessed our first gorgeous Chinese sunset, as if one of the supporting columns had collapsed and one edge of the bright purple sky had fallen beyond the horizon. There was night ahead and a long way to Beijing.

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Representatives of the republican media, including the Buryad Unen newspaper and the Buryat branch of ITAR-TASS, visited Inner Mongolia at the invitation of the administration. The republic's television was represented by our film crew. A small city with big ambitions. This is how Chinese Erlian can be briefly described. It is located on the border with Mongolia and is the main supplier of consumer goods to this country. From here, the children of the steppes bring home almost everything - from clothes to building materials. However, a small Mongolia is not the ultimate dream for ambitious Erlan residents. Here they want to repeat the success of border Manchuria and are trying their best to attract Russian tourists to the city. First of all, from Buryatia and the Irkutsk region. - Jang Guo Hua, first secretary of the Communist Party of Erlian: “We are trying to improve the level and quality of services, building hotels, new markets and other facilities.” At a meeting with Buryat journalists, the first secretary of the Erlian Communist Party, Jan Guo Hua, was verbose. Which, in general, is not surprising; there is something to talk about. GDP growth, development of international trade and tourism. From a remote town on the outskirts of China, Erlian is gradually turning into an oasis in the desert. Over the past four years, its population has grown from 25 thousand to 100 thousand people. And this is just the beginning. The city fathers intend to implement serious plans due to the advantage of the geographical location. The distance from Ulan-Ude to Erlian through Mongolia is almost the same as to Manchuria. However, from Manchuria to Beijing there are as many as two thousand kilometers, and from Erlian only seven hundred. - Jan Guo Hua: “If we transport good quality goods from all over China to Erlian, and the Russians buy them here and take them home, it will be much more convenient. There is a reduction in transport costs." Another fact will help reduce the cost of transportation to Russia. Wagons carrying timber and other raw materials from Russia usually return empty. In the near future they will bring Chinese goods to our country. - Alexander Krokhalev, consultant to the administration of the Irkutsk region: “Overloaded Russian stations are Zabaikalsk-Manchuria, the Vladivostok-Nakhodka seaport. Therefore, development through Mongolia would be the optimal cost-effective cargo turnover.” If Manchuria has become a large clothing market for Russians, then in Erlian they intend to focus on more serious things - industrial and automotive equipment, loading and unloading terminals. Although going there to buy clothes is also profitable. Very low prices and decent sellers. The only drawback is the language barrier. But he too will soon be eliminated. Traders who speak Chinese and Mongolian will begin to be taught the great and powerful. Over the next 10 days, a Russian-Chinese phrasebook and a city plan will be ready, and signs will appear on the streets that will point our tourists in the right direction. The Year of China in Russia continues. As part of it, we will continue the story about the trip of Buryat journalists to Erlian. About the sights, features of the economy and culture of this Chinese city in the reports of Larisa Irintseeva, see the following issues of the Orient Express program. Larisa Irintseeva, Vyacheslav Tsybikov from Erlyan

There are three ways to get from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing. The first is by direct plane; the second - by international train; and the third - an adventure and budget option for 3,000 rubles with two additional stops.

Trans-Mongolian Highway

If you want to feel the spirit of the Trans-Siberian Railway without spending a week traveling across Russia, then you can simply drive along Trans-Mongolian highway, passing between Ulaanbaatar and Beijing. Trains number 24 and 04yu run on this route. They depart from Ulaanbaatar Central Station by Thursdays And Sundays V 7:15 am, and arrive in Beijing at the next day, V 14:04 . This is a very convenient, but rather boring way to get to China. In addition, this is a rather expensive option, since a one-way ticket will cost you at least $100.

If you want to save $50, have an unforgettable experience, and at the same time are willing to sacrifice your time for a non-trivial entry into China, read on!

Ulaanbaatar - Beijing. An alternative option for sophisticated travelers.

How to do it? I describe it step by step:

Step 1. Train from Ulaanbaatar to Zamyn-Üüd

The train departs several times a day. The price depends on the schedule - the cheapest option departs every day V 16:30 , and arrives at the Mongolian-Chinese border at the next day, V 7:20 am.

Tickets

You can purchase seats for 9700 MNT, but this is a rather harsh test. Therefore, if you want to sleep and relax a little on the way, I recommend taking seats for 16,400 MNT in a reserved seat carriage. Tickets for this train are selling like hotcakes, so I advise you to purchase them in advance. So the next day you can find yourself in the Zamyn-Uud desert, paying the same amount as we pay for dinner in Shokoladitsa.

The difference in ticket price between international and local trains is proportional to the difference in the length of these trains.

Conditions in the carriage

In the reserved seat carriage you will receive a blanket for free... And then you will be faced with a choice - either freeze at night (even in summer), or wrap yourself in stinking material that has not been washed since the last century (when this train was put on the route). For bed linen you need to pay an additional 1500 MNT. Coffee and tea will cost you 800 MNT. I recommend preparing a sleeping bag/warm clothes and purchasing food in advance, since only Chinese instant noodles are sold on the train.

Passengers

Don't expect anyone to help you with frostbite if you shout in English. In the Mongolian part of the Trans-Siberian Railway, only Mongolian is used. Of course, some older passengers may practice their Soviet heritage Russian with you, but this doesn't happen very often.

Safety

The upper bunks are not equipped with seat belts/side rails. If you don’t want to fly into the arms of a Mongolian woman on the bottom shelf during sudden braking, then I recommend prudently asking the ticket office for tickets for the lower seats.

Step 2. Four-wheel drive from Zamyn-Üüd to Erlien

The Mongolian-Chinese border cannot be crossed. She needs to be moved. The border is open only to ground transport, so it is best to find local guys who will take those who want to cross the border. This is not difficult to do - immediately after arriving in Zamyn-Uud, run to the first UAZ waiting for passengers at the station. I advise you not to think too long, otherwise you will find yourself at the end of the line at the border crossing.

A border in the middle of the desert - this is exactly what Zamyn-Uud looks like.

Price

The price depends on how much you are willing to pay. Bargain and jump in the car - usually foreigners give about 8000 MNT per person for travel to the center of the nearest Chinese city - Erlien (二连浩特). Yuans are also accepted as payment here.

In addition, on both sides of the border you need to pay another tax, so keep a couple of thousand tugriks (Mongolian currency) and 5 CNY ready.

Rake-free experience: Apply for and fill out the Mongolian Immigration Card as soon as you arrive at the border - this way you will save your time. Otherwise, you will learn about the existence of this card from the customs officer, who will again send you to the end of a long line.

Step 3. Erlien - Beijing

If you do everything at a fast pace, then by 11 am you will already be in Erlian. The direct train to Beijing leaves at 11 am (on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). But what to do if you didn’t catch the train? It's okay, it happened to us too.

Bus to Beijing

Look for the intercity bus station, which is located on the outskirts of the city. From there, a direct bus leaves almost every hour to Pek��n. These are our favorites, where instead of seats you'll find beds. Here you can sleep through the following 10-12 hours roads in 800 km. The price of a one-way ticket is about 400 CNY.

Dinosaurs will accompany you along the way. Where are they from? They say that their fossils were discovered in these places and the district administration decided to immortalize this memorable place in this way and turn tiny Erlian into the “homeland of dinosaurs.”

Summarizing

Total, all costs for the alternative route from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing summed up in 35 hours and $45. This way you can spend the remaining 50 dollars on something more valuable than a trip through the desert :)

The Chinese city of Erlian was never the subject of my dreams... Actually, I only learned that it was a city, and not a dull border station, upon my arrival here...

And even then, just a few years ago, the population of Erlian (in Mongolian it is called Eren-Khoto, i.e. the Colorful City) was only a little over 20 thousand people, living in typical Chinese barracks built of brick at an arm's length from each other friend.

Today, more than 100 thousand people live in Erlian, and I have not the slightest doubt that its population will grow exponentially, since (I repeat) there is really more than enough territory for construction here. To the question - why build here, in the endless steppe, why attract the population here? - the answer is simple: the Chinese government today considers Erlian as another “Gateway to Russia”. Although in fact this city borders on Mongolia, and opposite the Multi-Colored City there is a Mongolian village (I dare not call it a city) Zamyn Ud. Through the border road and rail crossing Zamyn-Ud - Erlian, up to 4 million tons of cargo per year, 36 thousand passengers, and income from customs operations reaches $11 million. How can one not recall the infamous “Kyakhta-Altan-Bulag” crossing, which today has become a kind of blood clot that interferes with the movement of goods and tourists.

Erlian is truly a large transport hub through which a huge amount of cargo moves both by rail and by road. And if the capabilities of the railway today are constrained by the Mongolian single-track, then the Erlian - Zamyn Ud - Ulaanbaatar - Altan Bulag highway is about to be completed on its southern section, and then huge trade flows from China to Eastern Siberia could indeed go through Erlian , and back. If it weren’t for the Kyakhta-Altan-Bulag checkpoint...

Residents of Erlian - from the mayor to the loader at the market - everyone dreams of Erlian becoming the “New Manchuria”, and Russian tourists flock here to both relax and “stock up”. And what, the range of local markets and shops is perhaps not inferior to Manchuria! There are also many signs in Cyrillic here, but only “our” Mongols can understand most of the inscriptions. They come here to buy goods, and it is for them that the inscriptions “in Russian” are intended, but in fact - in Mongolian. Inscriptions written in old Mongolian (Uyghur) vertical writing add additional exoticism to the signs. But this is already for local Mongols, among whom, despite everything, interest in their native language and Mongolian culture remains.

But to be honest, there isn’t much entertainment for Russian tourists here yet... Yes, like everywhere else in China, there are a lot of restaurants, saunas and massage parlors, but you have to be different from other towns in some way! Local authorities have focused on the theme of dinosaurs (the remains of which were actually found in the vicinity of the city), but they understand that dinosaurs alone will not lure “Russo tourists” here. They are looking for any options and projects that would make Erlian more attractive to Russian citizens. They study the experience and mistakes of Manchuria and believe that the opportunity to visit both Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (i.e. China) in one trip may be quite attractive for us.

Erlian is a free economic zone where, for example, there are three large timber processing plants. According to Chinese statistics, Erlian ranks third in terms of the amount of Russian forest that passes through after the cities of Manchuria and Suifenhe. In order to transform this zone into the largest integrated base for processing export and import products in Northern China, local authorities have developed incentives to attract enterprises from other parts of the country. The Erlian city administration is currently working to establish four manufacturing facilities: a base for processing crude oil and timber imported from Mongolia and Russia; processing bases for export products aimed at the Mongolian and Russian markets, including clothing, footwear, food and other consumer goods; processing base for construction materials taking into account the demand in the Mongolian market and processing base for agricultural products for export. The trend of rapid growth in car exports to Russia and Mongolia through the Erlian checkpoint continues. As of October 31 last year, 8,089 units were exported through this border passage, the export volume reached 96.7 million US dollars, both figures increased by 437.52% and 137.63% respectively compared to the same period last year. Over 50 types of vehicles are exported through Erlian to the Russian and Mongolian markets, including passenger trucks, dump trucks, minibuses, passenger buses, large and medium-sized passenger buses. In Buryatia, at one time, before the introduction of prohibitive duties on used cars, it was not unreasonably believed that in the near future the center of our automobile trade would move from Vladivostok to Kyakhta... They are already seriously discussing the construction of large customs terminals in Kyakhta and Naushki. And this is one of the promising areas for investment. Including from Inner Mongolia. In Naushki, construction of an international customs terminal should begin, which will process up to one million tons of cargo per year when it reaches its design capacity.

Here in Erlian, prices are cheap (even compared to Manchuria) not only for “consumer goods”, but also for real estate and office rentals. All this, according to the mayor's office, can also attract investors from Russia. From Erlian it is about 700 km to the administrative center of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the city of Hohhot, with a population of over 2 million people. By the way, the journey to Beijing via Ulaanbaatar, Erlian and Hohhot takes 15 hours less than through Manchuria. If visas between Mongolia and Russia are indeed cancelled, then the fate of Manchuria will be unenviable.

Representatives of the Erlian mayor's office (where today there are three large markets - one more modern, designed in the form of boutiques, and the other two markets are old with shopping arcades) believe that it will be profitable for Russians to make wholesale purchases in this city, and they will go for expensive and high-quality things in Hohhot. There are more opportunities to see there, since the city has long been a multicultural crossroads on the routes between Xinjiang and the Middle Kingdom itself.

But Erlian itself has ambitious plans to become a cultural and entertainment center both for Russians and Mongols, as well as for its own citizens. First of all, for residents of Inner Mongolia who want to get to know Russia without leaving the country. The city government is ready to allocate territory and create infrastructure for this. It's up to investors, incl. - and for the Russian ones. I have no doubt that we will see with our own eyes very soon what will happen...

Text, photo by Vladimir BEREZHNYKH

Erlian City Hospital was recently built. In terms of technical equipment, it can compete with any medical institution in Western Europe. At the same time, prices for medical services are several times lower not only in Europe, but also in Russia. The hospital management is confident that both of these factors, as well as the combination of traditional Chinese medicine with European training of leading medical specialists, will attract Russians to the hospital who want to improve their health. Therefore, I was asked to help find a translator specializing in medical topics