Ordos·Kangbashi Tourism Area
As China’s first national 4A-level tourist attraction centered on an urban core, the Kangbashi Tourism Area is located in the heart of Ordos Kangbashi New District. The scenic area consists of seven themed squares, four theme parks, three major museums, ancient ruins, Wulanmulun Urban Landscape Lake, six cultural buildings, and four major tourism functional zones. It integrates Mongol-Yuan cultural elements with modern urban landscapes, combining city administrative functions with cultural tourism resources. As an economic miracle, it has become a popular check-in spot in Inner Mongolia.
Kangbashi District is a county-level administrative district under Ordos, officially established in 2016 with approval from the State Council. It serves as the political, cultural, and scientific-educational center of Ordos. The district covers a total area of 372.55 square kilometers and has a permanent population of about 131,300. The core of Kangbashi District is a vast city square, which is not only the political, economic, and cultural center of Ordos but also the tourism core of the Kangbashi Tourism Area. Stretching several kilometers from the Ordos Municipal Government to Wulanmulun Lake, it is spectacular. From northwest to southeast, the squares are Genghis Khan Square, Sun Square, Leisure Square, Mongolian Chess Square, and the Asian Sculpture Art Theme Park.
Genghis Khan Square is located at the northern end of Kangbashi’s city central axis, covering about 50 hectares, 2,500 meters long from north to south, and 200 meters wide from east to west. It is one of the largest Genghis Khan-themed cultural squares in China and worldwide. At the center stands five giant bronze sculptures designed by renowned sculptor Professor He E, with a total surface area of 4,800 square meters and 480 tons of bronze used. Upon completion, it set the world record for the largest bronze sculpture group. The sculptures include “A Generation’s Hero,” a 16-meter-high piece depicting Genghis Khan uniting the Mongol tribes; “World Famous,” a 32-meter-long, 15-meter-high cliff carving-style sculpture showing the vast territory of the Mongol Empire; “Mother of the Grassland” and “All Rivers Run into the Sea,” symbolizing the roots of the Mongolian people and cultural integration, featuring multiple historical figures and reflecting Genghis Khan’s inclusive governance philosophy; and “Heavenly Steed Soaring,” a 15-meter-high sculpture of galloping horses symbolizing the Mongol cavalry’s dominance across Eurasia.
Behind Genghis Khan Square is Sun Square, known as Ordos’s “city living room,” symbolizing the vibrant spirit of the new grassland city. Designed with the concept of “the rising sun that never sets on the grassland,” the layout radiates outward with eight corridors like sun rays, symbolizing the city’s prosperity and vitality, representing modern Ordos’s openness and energy. The square features an artificial landscape lake, a light plaza, and a flower plaza. In spring and summer, a sea of tulips blooms in vibrant colors, earning it the nickname “palette on the grassland.” At night, dazzling lights create a dreamy urban nightscape. Surrounding the square are Ordos’s most representative public cultural buildings, forming an urban cultural circle integrating art, knowledge, and leisure, including the Ordos Museum, Ordos Grand Theatre, Ordos Library, and Ordos Cultural and Art Center.
The Leisure Square behind Sun Square is a large green park with many entertainment facilities. Around the square are several large commercial shopping plazas, and many specialty shops are located both around and inside the square, making it the commercial center of Ordos.
Mongolian Chess Square is an important cultural landmark on the Kangbashi Cultural and Art Corridor, themed on the traditional Mongolian intellectual game “Mongolian Chess.” It cleverly combines ethnic culture, public art, and urban functions to create an open recreational space that is both visually appealing and interactive. Covering about 50,000 square meters, the layout is symmetrical east to west and progressively deep north to south. Thirty-two giant Mongolian chess piece sculptures are arranged in a battle formation, with gold and silver pieces on opposite sides, resembling two armies facing off in a grand spectacle. The chess piece sculptures are cast in bronze and plated with gold and silver, shining brilliantly under sunlight or sunset, making it a popular photo spot for enthusiasts. At the center of the square is a “General’s Platform” style shared hall, with some areas featuring physical chessboard landscapes for visitors to participate in, encouraging family interaction and cultural experience.
The Asian Sculpture Art Theme Park is the southern terminus of the Kangbashi Cultural and Art Corridor, a landmark theme park integrating culture, art, and ecology. The park’s core sculpture is the “Central Asian Culture Ministers’ Roundtable Initiative Cauldron,” several meters tall, with Chinese inscriptions reading “Auspicious Grassland, Blessings to Asia.” It combines Ordos bronze double-camel patterns with the shape of an ancient iron cauldron, symbolizing peace and cultural exchange. On the east and west sides are 90 exquisite art sculptures representing works from 23 Asian countries and local Chinese artists, ranging in style from minimalism to mysterious totems, showcasing the Asian art theme of “peace and friendship.” The park also features 36 proportionally enlarged ancient bronze sculptures rooted in “Ordos Bronze Culture,” many modeled after artifacts from the Xiongnu period, with primitive and mysterious patterns full of historical tension. These are scattered along shaded walkways, creating an immersive “forest art exhibition” experience.
At the southernmost end of the central axis is Wulanmulun Lake, the core scenic lake of the Kangbashi Tourism Area. It integrates natural ecology, cultural art, and modern technology, with the theme “Modern Grassland City, New Landscape of Desert and Long River.” The area is divided into two axes, two belts, three zones, and six nodes. The most eye-catching feature is the Wulanmulun Lake Music Fountain, acclaimed as “Asia’s tallest and the world’s largest laser water screen music fountain.” The main fountain reaches over 200 meters high and incorporates various high-tech elements. The fountain show centers on Mongol-Yuan culture, blending grassland epics with modern art to depict the vast scene of “wind blowing the grass low to reveal cattle and sheep” and the majestic spirit of Genghis Khan. Along the lake shore are 18 large relief murals stretching 3.8 kilometers, themed on “The History of Human Civilization Development,” from ancient totems to Silk Road commerce to the rise of modern cities, forming an open-air epic of civilization. Scattered around the lakeside are multiple horse-themed sculptures symbolizing the Mongolian “horseback nation” spirit totem.