Miss World 2012 : Exploring Ordos

Ordos, whose name means "palace" in Mongolian,is one of the twelve major subdivisions of Inner Mongolia, China. It is located within the Ordos Loop of the Yellow River. One of the richest regions of China, Ordos is extremely rich in natural resources, having one sixth of the coal reserve in China. The pillars of its economy are textile, coal mining, petrochemicals, electricity generation, and production of building materials. The city was one of additional locations visited by Miss World contestants in 2010, but this year its status is elevated into the main location, as Miss World 2012 Grand Final will be held in the city. Check out their adventures in the pictures below!

One of the major tourist attraction in Ordos, the Genghis Khan Mausoleum is a memorial built by between 1954 and 1956 by the Chinese government to commemorate the great man who has become an important figure of Mongolian history. The Mausoleum is actually a cenotaph, where the coffin contains no corpse, but only headdresses and accessories, because the actual Tomb of Genghis Khan has never been discovered. 

 Exploring the modern side of Ordos. Some contestants took a picture in front of the modern and sophisticated Ordos Mall.

Miss Ukraine took a picture in front of a horse statue at Ordos Agricultutral Museum. The museum is the house for many replicas and displays depicting the agricultural life of traditional Ordos farmers.

At Engebei Museum, the contestans learned about deserts around the world and how they were formed. They also got a chance to watch an informative yet spellbinding 4D movie about deserts and dunes.

Greeneries in the middle of the dunes. Miss Macau posing inside one of Kabuqi greenhouses where farmers grow organic vegetables like gourds, cucumbers, spinach and tomatoes in the middle of Kabuqi desert.

Another interesting spot that the Miss World 2012 contestants visited is the Donglian Pictures and Animated Studio. The studio has a series of replicas of ancient Chinese landmarks including the gateway of the ancient military road, which in the past, could run in a straight line for over  90 kilometres.

The contestans also participated in a green activity as they helped to plant pine trees on another reclaimed area of the Kabuqi Desert.

A group of dancers in colorful costumes welcomed the contestants as they arrive at Donglian Pictures and Animated Studio.

The contestants smiling and waving to the cameras as they posed in front of the Genghis Khan Mausoleum. 

ORDOS

• Status : prefecture-level city

• Area : 87,000 km2

• Population : 1,940,653

• Density : 22 / km2

• GDP : CNY 321.85 billion


Pictures courtesy of MissWorld.com