Savoring Chinese micro-towns: Inner Mongolia

Aershan's residents are warm and friendly. Guo Tao/Provided by Traveler Magazine

Aershan exudes fairytale beauty

Aershan is Inner Mongolia's best kept secret. Many travelers are said to stay mum about their wonderful experience there because they fear that the heels of more visitors will scratch its fairy-tale beauty.

But still, at summer when the grassland turns green like emerald, Aershan's 6,000 residents are overwhelmed with throngs of visitors, mostly from nearby Beijing. Most of them rent hotels along Wenquanlu.

The town is famous for its delicious lamb skewer. To burn it off, take a stroll in the sea of flowers upon a hilltop beside the Wenquanlu. From the hilltop, the red or blue buildings in town look like abstract jigsaw - a sight to behold.

Apart from the sights, visitors will find the friendly characteristic of Aershan people as refreshing as the air of the wide grassland. It is common to see strangers greeting each other on the streets.

And you might catch female rangers. Only seen in Aershan and Dalian, these rangers are like guest models sashaying on grassland.

If you go

-There are 48 natural cold and hot springs at eastern rural Aershan, with temperatures from 15 to 50 C.

-With the coexistence of Russian and Japanese styles, the Aershan Railway Station is considered the most beautiful railway station in China.

-Don't miss the rime among trees if you visit in winter. The Taiwei Skiing Park is within walking distance.

Adapted from an original story which first appeared in Traveler magazine.