(Photo: CGTN)

Everyone's heard of Genghis Khan. He was a fearsome conqueror who, in the 13th century, swept through much of Eurasia with his armies to eventually establish the largest land empire in history – the Mongol Empire. These days, the biggest celebration of Mongolian culture is the Naadam Festival in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which began as a series of sporting competitions and later served as a way to train soldiers. 

So, what is Naadam? In Mongolian, it means the "Three Games of Men," namely wrestling, archery and horse-riding. Though there are large-scale, annual Naadams, the games are also often held after major celebrations such as religious ceremonies and weddings. It's said that Genghis Khan considered wrestling to be a great way to keep his soldiers fighting fit, which makes sense, seeing as there are no weight classes, age restrictions or time limits in this sport. As a result, it's not uncommon to see a challenger matched up against someone double their weight. All you have to do is make your opponent touch the ground with any part of his body other than his feet. Whether you do that through throwing, tripping or lifting is dependent on your skill as a wrestler.

Unlike wrestling, Mongolian archery is also open to female participants. Instead of the concentric rings, you normally see on archery targets, the Mongol version uses small woven cylinders placed on top of each other like a wall. The aim is to hit as many as you can, with men shooting from a distance of up to 75 meters away, and women doing so from a shorter distance, up to 65 meters away. Incredibly, judges will stand nearby the targets and call out the results of each shot, seemingly oblivious to the projectiles whizzing past their ears and even calmly dodging the occasional stray arrow. 

The archery of the Mongols was even more fearsome when combined with their equestrian skills. In the past, horses weren't just kept for sport; they were crucial to Mongolian life. They were used for transportation, as sources of food and wealth, and even as emotional support. Foals grew up playing with toddlers, and it's often said that Mongol kids learn to ride before they walk. In times of war, each Mongol soldier maintained several horses, allowing him to rotate his mounts and travel long distances at high speeds without wearing them out. As Genghis Khan once said, "It is easy to conquer the world from the back of a horse."