Uliastai

Uliastai, whose name means “place with poplars”, lies in a valley surrounded by mountains where the Chigestai and Bogdiin Gol meet. It became a centre for caravan routes linking western Mongolia to Urga, Khovd and the lands to the south. Its position between the Khangai Mountains and the western basins made it a useful seat from which to watch the neighbouring Mongol communities.

The Qing established a military garrison at Uliastai in 1733. The imperial governor stationed there supervised the Khalkha to the east and the Oirats west of the Khangai. At its height the fortress held thousands of soldiers, and a Chinese trading quarter grew beside it. In 1755 a Qing army set out from Uliastai as the vanguard of the campaign against the Dzungar Khanate.