Prefecture-level city · Inner Mongolia

Ordos 鄂尔多斯市

Ordos, also known as Ih Ju, is one of twelve major subdivisions of Inner Mongolia, China. It lies within the Ordos Plateau of the Yellow River. Ordos has been administered as a prefecture-level city since 2001, although built-up areas make up a small proportion of its surface area. Ordos City consists of three separate urban areas, the historical city center Dongsheng (574,242 inhabitants in 2020), a newly developed area at Kangbashi (population 118,796), and Altan Xire (population 141,983).

Location of Inner Mongolia, the surrounding province-level areaView province guide

Get to know Ordos

A hotel among the dunes at Xiangshawan in Ordos (鄂尔多斯响沙湾), photographed in June 2013.
A hotel among the dunes at Xiangshawan in Ordos (鄂尔多斯响沙湾), photographed in June 2013. Photograph date recorded by the source: Taken on 3 June 2013. · Nyx Ning · CC BY-SA 3.0
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Administrative area
Prefecture-level city · 地级市
Part of
Inner Mongolia
Chinese name
鄂尔多斯市
Local areas
9 local areas

Area & population

Area in the source
86,752.00 km²
Population · 2020 census
2,153,638
Administrative seat
Kangbashi District

Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.

Ordos emerged as a center of coal mining during the early 2000s, as the prefecture is home to one-sixth of China's total coal reserve. In recent years, Ordos is increasingly transitioning to renewable energy and manufacturing, although coal enterprises remain central to its economy.

Transportation

Travel within Ordos City is primarily made by car or bus, using the city's network roads. Two tolled expressways, the G18 Rongcheng–Wuhai Expressway and the G65 Baotou–Maoming Expressway, provide connections with other towns and cities including Dongsheng.

In 2016, the Ordos railway station in the city opened. The station is on the Beijing-Baotou railway, the Hohhot-Ordos high-speed railway line, and the Baotou-West railway. High speed trains to the provincial capital of Hohhot are run on a daily basis. As well as slower speed trains directly to and from Beijing West railway station.

Explore Ordos

Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.

Places to explore around Ordos

Genghis Khan's Mausoleum · 成吉思汗陵Genghis Khan's Mausoleum · 成吉思汗陵

Mausoleum of Genghis Khan成吉思汗陵

The Genghis Khan Mausoleum is a ceremonial memorial associated with the Eight White Tents tradition, rather than a confirmed burial site. Three domed halls form its recognisable silhouette, linked by corridors and filled with…

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The curved exterior of Ordos Museum in Kangbashi, Inner Mongolia; 5 May 2015.The curved exterior of Ordos Museum in Kangbashi, Inner Mongolia; 5 May 2015.

Ordos Museum鄂尔多斯博物馆

Ordos Museum is both a regional-history collection and one of Kangbashi's most distinctive modern buildings. Its rounded bronze-coloured shell encloses irregular, light-filled internal spaces. Inside, the Yellow River Flows…

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AI watercolor illustration inspired by the dunes of the Kubuqi Desert; not a photograph.AI illustration; an interpretive view, not a photograph. AI 示意图,非景点实拍。

Kubuqi Desert库布齐沙漠

The Kubuqi Desert stretches below the Yellow River's great northern bend. Chains of mobile dunes, areas of stabilised sand and planted vegetation create a varied landscape rather than one continuous bare surface. Xiangshawan, at…

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Dunes and visitor shade structures inside Xiangshawan scenic area, June 2013.Dunes and visitor shade structures inside Xiangshawan scenic area, June 2013.

Xiangshawan响沙湾

Xiangshawan combines a high crescent-shaped sand slope with a developed desert resort at Kubuqi's eastern edge. Its name refers to the sound that dry sand can make when disturbed, although conditions do not always produce it…

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Kangbashi Great Bridge in Ordos · 康巴什大桥Kangbashi Great Bridge in Ordos · 康巴什大桥 Photograph date recorded by the source: 5 May 2015, 11:36:11.

Ordos: Kangbashi鄂尔多斯康巴什

Kangbashi's broad civic spaces are framed by deliberately individual buildings, including the rounded Ordos Museum and the municipal library. Monumental bronze sculpture adds another scale to the central square, while the…

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AI illustration of a general desert landscape scene; not a photograph or an exact view of this place.AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非该地点实拍)

Qixing Lake Desert Scenic Area七星湖沙漠旅游区

Qixinghu is a group of lakes among the Kubuqi Desert's sand hills in Hanggin Banner, named for an arrangement likened to the Big Dipper.

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Local life & food

Ordos local specialties

鄂尔多斯市特色美食 · 10 specialties to discover

Ordos pork and cabbage stew · 腌猪肉烩小白菜 · AI dish illustrationOrdos pork and cabbage stew 腌猪肉烩小白菜AI illustration · AI 示意图

Fatty, savory meat meets mild greens with a soft, broth-soaked texture. The result is comforting and substantial rather than crisp or delicately plated.

Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Sour Fermented Grain Porridge (酸粥) — dish photographSour Fermented Grain Porridge 酸粥

Sour Fermented Grain Porridge (酸粥) is a fermented staple of broomcorn millet (糜米) eaten in Ordos (鄂尔多斯), Inner Mongolia; Inner Mongolia Daily (内蒙古日报) names millet sour porridge among the Ordos local specialities.

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Photo: Source photographer · License not provided
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Whole Lamb Back (羊背子) — dish photographWhole Lamb Back 羊背子

Whole Lamb Back (羊背子) is the whole boiled sheep that Mongol herders in Ordos (鄂尔多斯), Inner Mongolia, set before guests at sacrifices, weddings, elders' birthdays and welcome banquets.

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Photo: Source photographer · License not provided
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Zhama Mongolian Banquet (诈马宴) — dish photographZhama Mongolian Banquet 诈马宴

Zhama Mongolian Banquet (诈马宴) is a feast of the old Mongol court that Inner Mongolia now puts before visitors.

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Photo: Source photographer · License not provided
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AI illustration: A plate of thin cooked meat slices with modest green vegetable and pepper strips.Stir-Fried Lamb with Sand Onion 沙葱羊肉AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非实拍)

Stir-Fried Lamb with Sand Onion (沙葱羊肉) pairs mutton or lamb with sand onion (沙葱), a wild desert allium also called Mongolian chive (蒙古韭).

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Ordos Dairy Foods (鄂尔多斯奶食) — dish photographOrdos Dairy Foods 鄂尔多斯奶食

Ordos Dairy Foods (鄂尔多斯奶食) are the milk foods of the herders of Ordos (鄂尔多斯), the city on the Ordos Plateau through which the Yellow River flows.

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Photo: Source photographer · License not provided
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AI illustration: A ceramic plate of small golden fried dough pastries with visible airy crisp texture.Mutton-Fat Fried Dough Twists 羊油馓子AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非实拍)

Mutton-Fat Fried Dough Twists (羊油馓子) are an Ordos (鄂尔多斯) fried dough food, formed into bundles of thin strands. Sheep fat is the frying medium, and the finished bundles are brownish yellow.

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AI illustration: An oval white plate of thin layered cooked brown-red meat slices.Air-Dried Mutton 风干羊肉AI illustration · AI 示意图(仅供参考,非实拍)

Air-Dried Mutton (风干羊肉) in Ordos (鄂尔多斯) is meat cut into strips in early winter and hung in the shade to dry naturally until February or March.

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All dish names · 全部菜名 (10)

More dishes from across Inner Mongolia are in the Inner Mongolia food guide.

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Counties & districts in Ordos

9 areas belong directly to Ordos.

9 areas

View all 9 areasShow fewer areas

Plan your visit

Build your route

Mausoleum of Genghis Khan and Ordos Museum are about 25 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.

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More in Inner Mongolia

Sources & geographic information

Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.

Background text adapted from Ordos City — Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been shortened and reorganized; source revision 1373354153.

Photo: Mausoleum of Genghis Khan · Fanghong · CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.

Photo: Ordos Museum · Popolon, architects : Ma Yansong, Yosuke Hayano, Dang Qun from MAD Architects[1] · CC BY-SA 4.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.

Photo: Xiangshawan · Nyx Ning · CC BY-SA 3.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.

Photo: Ordos: Kangbashi · Popolon · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.