The Inner Mongolia Grassland Tourism Festival is a traditional folk festival that integrates trade negotiations, material exchange, competitions, and cultural and entertainment activities, building upon the Naadam Festival. The grand opening ceremony is usually held at the Inner Mongolia Racecourse in Hohhot, inviting people from all over the world to participate. The festival is grand and lively, featuring performances by motorcycle teams, camel teams, equestrian teams, martial arts teams, Andai dance, and wrestling (Boke).
The Inner Mongolia Ulanmuqi Art Festival is held biennially in Hohhot, sometimes coinciding with the Inner Mongolia Grassland Tourism Festival and the Inner Mongolia Naadam Festival (Mongolian Games Festival). It is one of the most beloved festivals of the Inner Mongolian people. Since its establishment, the Ulanmuqi has cultivated and nurtured a group of outstanding ethnic minority artists, such as the famous composer Tuligur; singers Mulan, Lasurong, and Chaolu; dancers Aodemule and Aodenggerile; folk art performer Daoerjirenqin; and Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle) player Darima. The Zhaojun Cultural Festival is a comprehensive festival integrating culture, trade, sports, and tourism. Originating from the folk Zhaojun Temple Fair, it primarily focused on folk cultural activities held at the Zhaojun Tomb in Hohhot. It was renamed the Zhaojun Cultural Festival in 1999. Every year during the festival, Hohhot attracts a large number of cultural and business figures, as well as tourists. The Zhaojun Cultural Festival has been recognized as one of China's top 100 folk art tourism activities.
Arts: Errentai (a type of folk opera) Errentai is a folk opera popular in central and western Inner Mongolia, northern Shanxi, northern Shaanxi, and Zhangjiakou, Hebei. Its original melodies are local folk songs, such as those evolved from Han folk songs in central and western Inner Mongolia, including "Picking Cherries," "Pressuring Cake Noodles," and "Playing the Back Set"; those evolved from folk songs in northern Shanxi, including "Walking West," "Fifth Brother Herding Sheep," and "Pearl Rolling Up the Curtain"; those evolved from folk songs in northern Shaanxi, including "Sending Off the Eldest Brother," "Ten Mile Mound," and "Embroidered Purse"; those evolved from Mongolian folk songs, including "Ala Benhua" and "Wang Aizhao"; the folk song "Ten Pairs of Flowers" from northern Hebei; and folk songs from the Jianghuai region such as "Jasmine Flower" and "Yu Meiren." The melody also incorporates many Jinju (Shanxi opera) tunes, folk wind and percussion music, and religious music.
Jinju (Shanxi Opera), also known as "Zhonglu Bangzi" or "Shanxi Bangzi," was introduced to Inner Mongolia in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. After its introduction, Zhonglu Bangzi incorporated Jin dialect, Beijing dialect, and local dialects, resulting in a simple and unpretentious performance style, beautiful costumes, a passionate and vigorous singing style, and melodious tunes. The repertoire consists of over two hundred plays, with representative works including "Beating the Golden Branch," "The White-Haired Girl," and "Gada Meilin." In the 1950s and 60s, thanks to strong support from the Party and the government, Zhonglu Bangzi opera held a dominant position in the Inner Mongolian opera scene.