The 2026 Ulan Butung Horse Culture Festival was held from Jan 12 to 14 in Hexigten Banner, Chifeng city, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Timed to run just prior to the advent of the Year of the Horse, the festival featured grassland folk customs and equine cultural performances, drawing visitors from across the country despite the temperatures plunging below minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Riders gallop across the grassland at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Ulan Butung Horse Culture Festival. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Herds of horses race across the venue during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Ulan Butung Horse Culture Festival. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Riders and herds of horses charge across the snow-covered grasslands. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Riders and horses charge across the snow-covered grasslands. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]