Hohhot, also Hu-ho-hao-t'e or Huhehot, city, northern China, capital of Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongol) Autonomous Region, a commercial and industrial center in a region of grasslands and major defense installations. Manufactures include processed food, chemicals, textiles, and machinery.
Hohhot is located on the site of Kuku-khoto, a Mongol religious and trading center founded in the 9th century AD. It was renamed (1581) Kuei-hua (Kweihwa) by the Chinese and in 1914 was joined with nearby Suiyuan to form Kuei-sui (Kweisui). The city was (1928-34) the capital of the former province of Suiyuan and, as Hohohoto, served (1934-45) as the capital of the former Japanese-controlled state of Meng-chiang. The city developed rapidly after 1947 and in 1952 replaced Zhangjiakou (Chang-chia-k'ou) as the capital of Inner Mongolia. It received its present name in 1954. Population (1991) 879,202.
