Mongolia treats Chinese president with traditional pageant

ULAN BATOR, Aug. 22 -- Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping was treated by his Mongolian counterpart Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj with a Nadam Fair performance here on Friday, before he concluded his two-day state visit to the inland country.

The Nadam Fair, a traditional Mongolian pageant for entertainment and games, usually includes seven days' events of archery, wrestling, horse racing, dancing and acrobatics, which represent the traditional Mongolian culture.

The fair the two leaders and their wives watched was held in a relatively smaller scale, as a special treatment for distinguished guests with performances of wrestling, horse racing, archery and dancing.

Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were also invited by the couple of Elbegdorj to present awards to winners in the races.

Two Mongolian horses, given to the Chinese president and his wife as gifts of goodwill, were named after Altay Mountains and Kherlen River respectively, an indication of China-Mongolia neighborliness blessed by border mountains and rivers.

Xi arrived in Ulan Bator Thursday for a two-day state visit to Mongolia, the first visit in 11 years by a Chinese head of state to Mongolia, and also the second time for him to make a one-country foreign trip since he took office in March 2013.

During the visit, the leaders of the two countries announced the upgrading of their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and pledged to almost double their annual trade to 10 billion U.S. dollars by 2020.