The Zhaojun Culture Festival was initially launched in 1999 in Hohhot and named one of the National 100 Folk Festivals by the National Tourism Administration in 2001.

Wang Zhaojun or Wang Qiang was a concubine to Emperor Yuandi at a time of hostility between the Hans and the Mongols during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 24). She volunteered to serve as an ambassador for peace, leaving the imperial court for the frontier to marry the Mongolian Chanyu, chieftain of the Xiongnu tribe in ancient China. She has always been a symbol of harmony among China's different ethnic groups.