South of the great bend of the Yellow River a newly built four-lane expressway cuts through the scrub-covered semi-desert of the Or-dos plateau. It is a bleak landscape. Overgrazing, in-I tensive farming and the ravages of mining have taken their toll. Legend has it that Genghis Khan stopped to admire the area's lush grasslands and herds of deer as he and his warriors passed through on a mission of conquest eight centuries ago. If today he were to follow the signs to his mausoleum, just off the motorway, he would not be so impressed.
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