HOHHOT, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of ethnic Mongolians on Saturday flocked to a shrine dedicated to the 13th-century conquerer Genghis Khan for a grand spring memorial ceremony.

Worshippers gathered at the mausoleum in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to pray or offer hada, the white silk ceremonial scarf.

Hasiet, a 50-year-old ethnic Mongolian woman, came to the ritual from Hohhot City.

"The last time I participated in the spring ritual was in 2008, this time I brought my friends from Shandong Province to experience the mongolian culture," she said.

The spring ritual, an occasion to pray for peace and a good year, is one of the most important annual rituals at the shrine. It lasts for eight days.

Ethnic Mongolians claim to be descended from Genghis Khan, who united the tribes in northern China and founded the Mongol Empire in the 13th century. His grandson, Kublai Khan, established the Yuan Dynasty that ruled China from 1271 to 1368.

Genghis Khan memorial rituals are protected as a state intangible cultural heritage.