The Argentine team celebrates its victory at the Beijing Polo International Open last month. Zhu Xingxin / China Daily

Uncertainty ahead

A taste of British luxury

Many experts doubt such enthusiasm is sustainable because betting on horses is illegal in China. Foreign investors have been excited by the prospect China might loosen up on that ban, but since 1949 gambling has been viewed as the sort of Western-fueled decadence that has cost China dearly in the past. Once-eager investors are beginning to sense that's not going to change anytime soon.

That doesn't worry Xia, who believes building a thriving horse industry will be a tourism boon even without gambling.

"Dubai is a great example for China," he says, noting that the tiny emirate has developed a lucrative equine industry that attracts many tourists－despite a ban on placing bets there.

"We have a staff of 70 now," he says, counting employees that range from horse trainers, riding instructors, security guards and administrative clerks. Xia expects to employ about 10 times that many in a few years, with his ambitious plans to build an equine culture center that includes not only professional and amateur tournaments but company retreats, weekender packages and riding lessons at the resort complex he plans to build at the polo club, which is tucked in the hills near the Great Wall at Badaling.

The temperature is pleasant. The air is clean. The horses are beautiful and engaging. What's not for tourists－and local visitors－to like?