Bayan Ula

Bayan Ula lies within the Hulunbuir grassland country around Hailar, where open pasture meets a regional centre shaped by movement between China and Russia. Hailar was founded as a Chinese fort in 1734 and became a hub of commerce, trade and transport. Its dry-winter humid continental climate sets the rhythm of the land: winters are long, very dry and severe under the Siberian High, while short summers are warm and comparatively wet under the East Asian monsoon. That seasonal contrast gives a grassland world whose usable months are concentrated and whose open distances encourage herding and exchange.