Until recently the Younger Dryas cooling event was thought to be restricted to the North Atlantic region. However, preliminary evidence based on magnetic susceptibility and stable isotope data from Lake Hetongchahannor, a hypersaline alkaline lake in inner Mongolia, indicates that this event is observed in NE Asia. In addition we find indications of wetter climatic conditions between 9000 and 6000 yr BP, possibly due to increased monsoon activity, followed by a progressive aridification towards the present time.