Lindong

Lindong (, Mongolian:) is a town in the Balin Left Banner, Chifeng, within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. The town has an area of 881 km2, and a population of 68,000, according to a 2020 publication by the Balin Left Banner government. The town serves as the administrative seat of the Balin Left Banner.

Geography
Lindong lies adjacent to Balin Left Banner's urban core. Large swathes of the town are forests and grasslands.

Climate
The town has a continental climate, experiencing an average of 3,000 hours of sunshine annually, 166.4 mm to 366.4 mm of precipitation annually, and 120 to 130 frost-free days annually.

Administrative divisions
Lindong is divided into 33 administrative villages. The town also hosts 125 natural villages, which lack jurisdictional authority, and belong to the town's administrative villages. The towns administrative villages are as follows:


 * Suobuliga Village
 * Fushandi Village
 * Daxinzhuang Village
 * Xinglongdi Village
 * Chaoyangyingzi Village
 * Chaidamu Village
 * Hantubai Village
 * Taiping Village
 * Panlonggang Village
 * Shanwan Village
 * Baolihantu Village
 * Bayi Village
 * Xianfeng Village
 * Hongweizhuang Village
 * Jingzigou Village
 * Tulonggang Village
 * Houxinglongdi Village
 * Longfenggou Village
 * Xinfangshen Village
 * Gushanzi Village
 * Dongxinjing Village
 * Yamenmiao Village
 * Suobeishan Village
 * Shuiquangou Village
 * Shisanhao Village
 * Beijing Village
 * Mantou'aobao Village
 * Fushan Village
 * Baiyingou Village
 * Xinglongzhuang Village
 * Baiyingaoluo Village
 * Taipingzhuang Village
 * Daolaomaodao Village

Demographics
Lindong has approximately 18,000 households, hosting a population of about 68,000 people, giving the town an average household size of 3.78 people. The town's population represents 19% of Balin Left Banner's total.

Economy
According to the government of the Balin Left Banner, Lindong is a largely agricultural town. The largest industries in the town are vegetable farming, donkey husbandry, and broom production. The town has about 100 private enterprises, of which, 53 are identified by the banner government as small and medium enterprises.

Agriculture
The per capita annual disposable income of the town's farmers and herders in 2019 totaled 12,521 renminbi.

As of 2019, the town raised approximately 190,000 heads of livestock, and grew 3,000 mu of vegetables.

There are six wholesale markets in Lindong.

Electricity generation
In order to promote economic growth, the banner government has launched a plan to expand agricultural facilities, construct a dam, and build a photovoltaic power plant within Lindong.

Tourism
The town has a large tourism sector, as it is home to the ruins of, an ancient city which served as the capital of the Liao dynasty. The Liao Shangjing Museum in the town, just west of the ruins of Shangjing, showcase 113,885 cultural relics, including many representative of the Khitan culture, the ethnic group the Liao dynasty was run by. The banner government also recognizes rural tourism as an important economic sector for Lindong.

Transportation
National Highway 305 currently ends in the town, however, as of March 2020, the Banner government is working on a plan to extend it to the township of Xiahuofang. Multiple commercial bus providers service a route from Lindong to Beijing, which is approximately 780 kilometers in length.