In a region as large and sparsely populated as this, it is not surprising that there are few cities. Hu-ho-hao-t’e and Pao-t’ou are the two ranking cities of Inner Mongolia. Hu-ho-hao-t’e, the capital of the region, is one of China's famous ancient cities; it was once a trade center to which the wool, hides, food, and medicine from the surrounding grasslands were brought.
1973, Chiao-min Hsieh, “Inner Mongolia”, in Christopher L. Salter, editor, Atlas of China, McGraw-Hill, Inc., page 188, column 1