Big money at horse race event in NW China

A traditional local event in?Maqu county, Gansu province, the horse race festival, got off to a roaring start on Aug 13, with more than 600 horses taking part by coming from Sichuan and Qinghai provinces and the Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang regions.

This year, the 5-day event has seen the largest number of horses than ever before and has added several new items, including a 6-km professional competition, with a bonus that has increased by 200,000 yuan ($31,300).

Wang Li, the head of Maqu county, was on hand for the opening ceremony and addressed the assembly by saying, "This festival is one way to carry on our traditional culture and promote the Maqu image," then went on to say that Maqu is looking forward to a boost in its tourism and will take the opportunity offered by this event to publicize its ecological tourism.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw