A grassland culture forum was held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Feb 3. The forum has been held for 15 sessions. The forum this year was themed "Mongolian horse".

The forum was jointly sponsored by the Inner Mongolia grassland culture protection and development foundation, China Citic Bank's Hohhot branch and a local grassland ecology industry investment company. It focused on horse culture and industry; aimed to call attention to Mongolian horse culture; encouraged people to explore feasible development models for the horse industry; and accelerated its healthy, orderly and rapid development.

Chen Xiaoguang, former vice-culture minister, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. He said that horse riding comes naturally to Mongolian people, and horses are no longer an animal but an inspiration that enriches people's lives. Horses represent goodness, beauty and kindness. Mongolian horses are not only the soul of nomadic culture, but also the symbol of the Mongolian spirit. Chen claimed that the horse culture means a lot to real life.

The forum lasted a day and included many activities, such as keynote speeches on Mongolian horses, a launching ceremony of the book Mongolian Horse, and related seminars. Nearly 200 experts and scholars were present at the forum.

Edited by Michael Thai