China

Trackside at Shangri-la

As summer approaches, a Tibetan town in China’s deep southwest succumbs to a heady bout of horse racing fever, Richard Shaw discovers.

The picturesque town of Shangri-La is nestled in the mountainous plains of northern Yunnan Province. Towards the end of spring, local spirits are high.The winter snows have finally melted and the yaks and other livestock have been moved from their barns to feed on the rich grassy plains. For the predominantly Tibetan population, there is no better way to celebrate the onset of summer than a horse racing festival.

The locals call the old town ‘Dukezong’, meaning “castle on stone mountains”. Situated at the base of nearby Wufeng Mountain, Shangri-La’s racecourse lies in a natural amphitheatre just outside the town. At festival time – two days of eating, drinking, singing, dancing and horseracing action – Tibetans rub shoulders with the local Chinese and with Buddhist monks from the nearby Songzanlin Monastery. Farmers and yak herders pit their horses against one another and large crowds gather. Some travel great distances, camping around the track on Wufeng Mountain’s lower slopes.

As at the world’s other great racing carnivals, many racegoers add to the sense of occasion by dressing in their finest outfits. But don’t expect top hats, tails, designer labels or intricate millinery artworks at Shangri-La. Spectators opt for traditional Tibetan costumes of silk tunics trimmed in silver and gold, fox-fur hats and colourful headdresses for women. Large groups of friends and families congregate around tents – eating, drinking and playing mah-jong. Wander about and it won’t be long before you’re invited into somebody’s tent to share the food and drink that has been specially prepared.

Locally made barley wine and yak butter tea abound. This perennial Tibetan favourite, with its slight fatty flavour, is definitely an acquired taste. As the day turns to afternoon and barley wines are supped, the crowd gets increasingly excited and spectators scurry for the best vantage point to watch the racing action. A colourful opening ceremony, featuring traditional Tibetan singing and dancing, kickstarts the carnival. There’s even a fireworks display in broad daylight! The skills of local horsemen are put to the test with entertaining displays of horseback archery and ‘hada’, which requires riders to pick up a piece of cloth from the ground while at full gallop.

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Shangri-La’s oval-shaped track has a runningrail and a single grandstand, jammed with excited spectators, that aligns with the home straight. You’re unlikely to see any expensive thoroughbreds or Melbourne Cup aspirants thundering along the rock-hard dirt track. The horses are more akin to stunted ponies, but are brightly decorated for the occasion in jingling bells and colourful ribbons. Horses are generally ridden by their owners, who come in all shapes and sizes. With a long whip in one hand, most sport traditional Tibetan silk tunics, usually in bright red, pink or white. A simple number pinned to each rider’s tunic is often all that distinguishes the riders from each other.

Officially there is no gambling, but animated spectators eagerly anticipate each race as if a fortune is riding on the outcome. When the starter drops a flag to dispatch the runners, the crowd roars enthusiastically. Race distances range from a short single lap to over six laps of the track. The running of the ‘Speedy Gallop’ marks the climax of the carnival’s second and final day. While the 1,000 Chinese RMB prize (approx A$180) of this feature event pales into insignificance against the prize purses on offer in the world’s famous thoroughbred races, pride and honour is at stake in equal measures.

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The horses are carefully prepared by their owners and set for the big race weeks or months in advance. Fancied runners are given the best feed and cold baths just prior to the race to conserve energy. Rumour abounds that some owners even give their horses tea to drink, said to act as a performance-enhancing stimulant. The six laps, or approximately three thousand metres, is almost the same distance as the Melbourne Cup and it’s an exacting test of stamina for both these tiny horses and their riders. Eventually a totally exhausted, but thoroughly jubilant, winner passes the finish line. The celebrations for some of those trackside will continue long after the winner has the trophy safely in his or her keep. For others, the effects of the local barley wine have taken their toll. For all, the end of spring next year and the racing festival that marks the changing of the seasons cannot come soon enough.