Art week on horse culture to be held in Hohhot

Hohhot Municipal People's Government announces that an art week on regional horse culture is set to start on Aug 27 during a press conference. [Photo/people.cn]

Hohhot in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region announced on Aug 22 that an art week on regional horse culture is scheduled to start on Aug 27 in the city.

The art week, will run for seven days and end on Sept 2.

The art week will include art performance, exhibitions, equestrian competition and horse racing to promote the horse culture in Inner Mongolia.

Horses play an important role in the traditional nomadic culture in the region. It is said that a herdsman in Inner Mongolia without a horse is like a bird without wings.

However, the number of horses owned by herdsmen in the region has fallen from 2.4 million in 1975 to less than 700,000 in 2007, according to Xinhua.

Aiming to protect the Inner Mongolian horses and promote the horse culture, the municipal government of Hohhot organized a series of horse-related events.

The art week is part of the government's efforts to use horse culture to expand global recognition to the city.

The event is expected to lay foundations for the opening of the national expo on horse culture, which is set to be held in Hohhot next year, and boost the growth of the horse-related industries.