Grand horse racing event held in Shangri-La, SW China’s Yunnan

A three-day horse racing event held from June 10 to June 12 in Shangri-La city, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, presented a spectacular display of traditional horse racing culture to local residents and tourists.

The grand event opened with a dazzling array of equestrian performances. Riders clad in vibrant racing attire enthralled spectators with intricate performances, including stooping down from a galloping horse to pick up hada (a ceremonial silk scarf) from the ground, and acrobatic feats performed on horseback.

Art and cultural performances staged at the opening ceremony seamlessly blended traditional songs and dances from Diqing’s three counties and cities and portrayed a beautiful tapestry of ethnic unity, harmonious coexistence, and interdependence among various ethnic groups in Shangri-La.

The horse racing event featured 294 horses competing across various divisions. In addition to horses from different townships and private stables within Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, equestrian teams traveled from Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, and Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, as well as southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region and Sichuan Province, northwest China’s Gansu Province, and north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, to take part in the event.

The competitive events included 1000m, 3000m, and 5000m speed races in three classes, along with 1000m and 3000m walking races, equestrian skill competitions, and traditional sports of ethnic minority groups such as crossbow shooting and archery, totaling 20 different contest categories.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)