The Olympic torch left Hohhot late Tuesday afternoon for Ordos, hometown of Yuan dynasty emperor Genghis Khan, according to a local government official.

Ordos is the second leg of the Inner Mongolia relay which started in Hohhot and will end on Thursday in Chifeng.

Boasting 168,000 Mongolians of 1.5 million people and 87,000 square kilometers, Ordos is hailed as "one of the birthplace of human civilization" from which Hetao culture originated.

The city, having more than 50 types of ore deposits and known as the world's cashmere industry center, plays an important role in Inner Mongolia's economic development.

(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2008)