Throngs of tourists have been attracted to the annual horse culture-based Tianma International Tourism Festival in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 

Tianma means "heavenly horse" in Chinese and, with the theme of "horses and global tourism", the 26th edition of the event opened ceremoniously on July 18 in Zhaosu County in Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture. 

At the opening ceremony, folk songs and dances highlighted harmony among different ethnic groups living on the grassland. 

A highlight of the event was a spectacular scene showing thousands of horses galloping freely on the prairie, as if they were celebrating this special event themselves and welcoming the guests from home and abroad. 

Lasting more than two months and ending on October 1, the tourism festival is currently in full swing at an unprecedented size and scale and with more than 30 kinds of rich and varied activities, including horse racing, camping, marathon, discussion panels and workshops on the development of the horse industry.  

Zhaosu County has, in recent years, continuously strengthened its tourism infrastructure and improved functions such as transportation, leisure, entertainment and communication, and launched various preferential policies for tourism development. In 2018, Zhaosu County received a total of 2.5 million tourists, with the tourism income reaching 1.26 billion yuan.