Chaghankhot

Chaghankhot, the White City, lies on the western Songnen plain near the Taoer River. Its Mongolian name is linked to an old enclosure whose earthen walls were pale in color. Not far away stood the fortified centre of Taizhou, associated with the Liao, Jin and Yuan states. The plain formed a meeting place of grassland and river country, where the routes of pastoral peoples crossed lands marked by older walled settlements.