By staff reporter QIU JIANGHONG

Grazing at dawn.

ON the map of China, Inner Mongolia appears as a long swath heading due north. At its center is grassland, to the west boundless desert, and its east is densely forested. Habitat of Mongolians, the region is rich in historic sites, legends of Genghis Khan and the folkways of its herdsman.

Pasture, Desert and Forest

To the Chinese people, Inner Mongolia is synonymous with pasture, most particularly its Bashang Pasture. Only three hours' drive from the capital, Bashang draws throngs of weekend visitors from Beijing, but the best example of Inner Mongolian prairie scenery is in Xilin Gol.

A national reserve and a UNESCO MAB (Man and Biosphere) member, Xilin Gol Pasture has mountain ranges, lush grasslands, abundant waters and a huge range of flora and fauna. The Xilin River meanders through it, clusters of reeds along its banks. Smoke from dishes being cooked by the local Mongolians spirals out from white yurts, but when a breeze parts the grasses, it no longer reveals the cattle and sheep as described in an ancient poem. A grazing ban is currently in force to arrest grassland degeneration.

Making sacrifice to Aobao.

In sharp contrast to the central prairie is the desert to the west of the autonomous region. Sparse vegetation, spindly trees and the occasional group of camels ambling leisurely through undulating dunes are the only topographic features on sands that otherwise stretch unbroken to the horizon.

To the east rises the main peak of the Hinggan Mountains with its silver birch forests, and grotesque-shaped stones, and rippling lakes.

Customs and Culture

The local Mongolian inhabitants are hospitable by nature. Guests are regaled with buttered tea and huge helpings of mutton. At the climax of a banquet, the host plays the matouqin, a stringed musical instrument, and young girls sing in tribute to heaven, earth and their ancestors before individually toasting each guest in song.

Herdsmen watering their sheep.

Nadam, Mongolian for games and recreation, is the biggest local festival of the year. It is held in July and August when the prairie is in prime season and livestock are fat and sturdy. Tens of thousands of nomads, dressed in their best and feeling exuberant, arrive at the grassland from all directions till it becomes festooned with colorfully dressed people on herds of horses.

Wrestling is the premier event of the festival. The contenders, wearing studded vests and loose-fit trousers, enter the arena performing the traditional eagle dance. On wrestling his adversary to the ground, the victor then helps him to his feet as a mark of respect.

A Glorious History

Shangdu ruins.

Shangdu, or Upper Capital, was the first of the two capital cities of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), built in 1256 in today's Zhenglan Banner (county-level administrative region) in the autonomous region. It was here that Kublai Khan, founder of the Yuan Dynasty, was enthroned supreme ruler of Mongolia. After an expansion in 1272 Shangdu became China's economic, political, military and cultural hub. During summer and autumn the Yuan emperor would go to Shangdu to escape the heat in Dadu, or Greater Capital (today's Beijing), and foreign diplomats and merchants followed his example, making the city an international metropolis. On he and his son being received personally by the emperor there Marco Polo wrote: "...Shandu (Shangdu), built by the Grand Khan Kublai, now reigning. In this he caused a palace to be erected, of marble and other handsome stones, admirable as well for the elegance of its design as of the skill displayed in its execution. The halls and chambers are all gilt, and very handsome..." Shangdu is remarkable for its axis being exactly parallel to the Meridian line.

Shangdu was a city that mingled Han concepts and nomadic conventions, incorporating both mandarin-style palaces and Mongolian yurts. Today its ruins are an important source of research for scholars of Mongolian architecture and of the Yuan Dynasty.

Bairin Stone: Mongolian Treasure

Tibetan-style temple near Baotou City.

A particular feature of the Bairin Right Banner is Bairin stone (pyrophyllite). Its smooth texture and vivid colors make it one of the four best seal stones in China. Of the various types of Bairin stone Bairin Jixue (chicken blood) stone, so called for the vermilion spots running through it, is the most admired.

Mongolian Bairin stone has a long history. During the feast to celebrate Genghis Khan's unification of the Mongolian tribes a Bairin stone bowl was presented to the Khan. After drinking countless toasts, he declared the bowl to be made from "stone of heaven." The memorial seals marking the first anniversary of Hong Kong's and Macau's return to China were carved from Bairin stone, and it is said that Juan Antonio Samaranch, former IOC president, had his personal seal made from it.

Recommended Sights 1. Genghis Khan Mausoleum The mausoleum of Yuan Emperor Taizu -- Genghis Khan, the legendary Mongolian hero -- is in the middle of the Ordos Prairie 185 kilometers from Baotou. In the shape of a flying eagle, it consists of three yurt-style halls with bright yellow walls, vermilion gates and windows, and brilliant domes. 2. Zhaojun's Tomb Wang Zhaojun was one of the four beauties of Chinese history. A palace maiden of Han Emperor Liu Shi (75-33 B.C), Zhao volunteered to marry the Hun chieftain Huhanxie for the sake of Han/Hun rapprochement. Her tomb is an outstanding 33-meter mound on a plain near the Dahei River 9 kilometers from Hohhot. According to folklore, it remains verdant through till September, when grass in all other parts of the region is withered and yellow. It is therefore also called Green Tomb. 3. Singing Sand Bay The bay is actually a barren sand slope 50 kilometers south of Baotou City. On sunny days it emits a rumbling sound similar to that of a truck or plane. 4. Ashihatu Stone Forest Ashihatu means "perilous rocks" in Mongolian. Across an area of 8,200 hectares in the north of Hexigten Banner, these granite megaliths were eroded into various grotesque shapes by a glacier. 5. Hulun Lake Hulun Lake in the Hulun Buir Prairie is the largest in Inner Mongolia and one of the five largest fresh water lakes in China. It is habitat of over 200 species of rare fowl, most notably the swan, and has abundant fish, deliciously cooked and temptingly served by hotels on the lakeside. 6. Bolongke Desert In Wudan Town, Ongniud Banner, the Bolongke Desert Tourism Zone is a fantastic combination of gold sands, crystal lakes, lush grassland and weird-shaped rocks.