North China's Inner Mongolia embraces Naadam season

HOHHOT - Hundreds of ethnic Mongolians and tourists gathered on Thursday for the Naadam Fair at a racecourse near the mausoleum of Genghis Khan in Ordos, in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Literally meaning "games" in Mongolian, Naadam is a festival comprising the region's traditional sports of Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery, also known as "the three games of men".

"I come here every year and Bokh is my favorite," said local herdsman Tanghis, referring to the traditional name for Mongolian wrestling. He was one of over 500 wrestlers competing at the event.

The Naadam Fair in Ordos represents the start of the annual Naadam season in Inner Mongolia. With the coming of spring and warmer weather, many other official and private Naadams will be held across the region.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Naadam served as a form of military training, though nowadays it is more of a social event, allowing people to celebrate harvest, spiritual gatherings and even family weddings.