Members of the 2023 "A date with China" International media tour pose for group photos in the Chilechuan grasslands in Hohhot of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, July 12, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2023 "A date with China" International media tour kicked off its Inner Mongolia autonomous region leg in the capital city of Hohhot on Wednesday.

More than 20 international media members and content creators from 13 countries joined the trip to experience the grassland section of the Silk Road connecting Asia and Europe and the country's ecological protection hub on the northern border.

A visit to M-GRASS showed the ecological side of Inner Mongolia to the tour members. The listed grass breeding enterprise provides solutions for ecological restoration throughout different land forms like grasslands, deserts, mines and wetlands all around the country and aims at exporting solutions to neighboring countries, even as far as to the Arab world.

Up to now, M-GRASS has restored nearly 30 million mu of the territory.

Chilechuan grassland, the closest grassland to the Hohhot and now the "back garden" for locals and a hot destination for visitors to the city, once was a deserted beach and stone field covered by sand and gravel due to natural and human reasons. M-GRASS was involved in the restoration of this area from 2012 by applying specific plant species based on local ecological data analysis on water, soil, gas, plants, animals and microorganisms from the grassland.

Martyn Joseph Newlands, an international staff member of the China Daily website, addresses the launching ceremony of the 2023 "A date with China" International media tour in Hohhot of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, July 12, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Martyn Joseph Newlands, a member of the tour who comes from the Scotland highlands, said he felt at home when walking around the Chilechuan grassland. "Inner Mongolia reminds me a lot of where I come from in Scotland, so I think it will hold a special place in my heart, delivering my home comforts but in the China way that I love and respect," he said.

Peking Opera artists perform at the launching ceremony of the 2023 "A date with China" International media tour in Hohhot of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, July 12, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A dancer performs at the launching ceremony of the 2023 "A date with China" International media tour in Hohhot of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, July 12, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Members of the 2023 "A date with China" International media tour visit the Inner Mongolia Museum in Hohhot of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, July 12, 2023. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]