When you come to the grasslands, don't forget to watch the horse racing, yak racing, archery and other sports of the minority nationalities. You can even be one of the athletes, if you are interested.

Horse Racing

    There are two categories of competitions: one is a race, in which both speed and galloping beauty are judged; the other is a contest of the horse's pacing, not its speed. 

    Horse race is a grand and exciting event. Many herdsmen come to the event from dozens of miles away. They put up their tents near the competition grounds, set up stoves and cauldrons kill sheep and prepare wine.

    In the competition, horse race in groups of four or five: the winners of each group then race in the finals. The spectators line up like two human walls on both sides of the track, cheering for their favorite riders. The atmosphere is very lively.

    At the finals, the friends and relatives of the riders await the victors, holding red cloths, colored silks, hadas (long white cloths offered as signs of respect) and pots of wine. When the lead horse crosses the finish line, the cheering fans rush to the rider, putting a piece of colored silk on him and a hada around his neck. The women friends hang embroidered bags on the house's forelock and mane. Everybody raises their wine cups in congratulations.

Yak Racing

    Before a yak race, the riders select the finest yaks which are good at galloping to be their mounts. On the day of the race, the yak's horn is wrapped with silk; its tail is decorated with cloth flowers; its back is bound with many pads; and a beautiful halter is fastened around its head. The riders wear brown wool robes of fur-lined jackets edged with otter skin, fox-fur hats and high boots. On their chest hang precious knives, in their hands are short whips, and their right arms are naked. Before the race begins, the riders are served with three cups of wine to boost their courage.

    The most exciting moment comes during the championship race, when both riders and yaks are dripping with sweat, and the audiences on both sides shout and cheer. When the riders cross the finish line, their friends and relatives rush to congratulate them with hadas, red cloths and wine. A hada on the horn of a yak and red cloth on its back signify the winner's glory.
 
Archery

    Archery, as a folk activity, is very popular on the grasslands and in Ledu, Ping'an and Hualong County. When arranging an archery competition, the host village decides who will be invited as competitors and sets a date for the event with their agreement. The  hosts begin to prepare plenty of food for the guests.

    Upon entering the archery arena, the archers are seated in proper order , served tea and offered cigarettes. Once a pair of opponents is decided, they address each other as Duimozi, which makes them bosom friends for life. The archery begins with the guest contestant shooting first, then the host. When a target is hit, the archers shout ¡°ouer, ouer, ouer.¡± This is both a reference to the target and victory cheer. The scorekeeper throws out a stone for each point made. In this way ¨Cone for the host and one for the guest-the contest goes on.

    When the contest ends, the scorekeeper counts the stones, with auditors from both sides watching. The total number of stones makes the final score, which is announced on the spot. The archers are then invited to dinner in the host village. After dinner, the guests are seen off, with the women of the village singing the Huaer (a folk outdoor singing). They don¡¯t stop singing until nightfall and finally they depart unwillingly.

Lunziqiu (Wheeling)

    Wheeling is a traditional sport enjoyed by the people of the Tu nationality who live near Xining. The wheeling dance is gracefully performed, accompanied by elegant music. It is considered a gem among traditional sports of Eastern Qinghai's nationalities, because of its distinctive highland folk characteristics.

    In the dance, people perform a great many exquisite and beautiful movements, such as "Winter Magpie Exploring the Plum", "Standing Like a Cock" and "Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain."  The age-old sport of wheeling has become a competitive event for the farmers.

Damazha (Beating the locust)

    Beating the locust is a traditional sport enjoyed by the Salar people in Xining area. The name comes from the fact that playing piece is shaped like a locust.

    The rules of the game are rather simple, somewhat like those of baseball. In this game , each team has two players. A two- meter circle in diameter is drawn as a "minefield." The offensive team uses a long bat to strike the "locust", which is a small, elongated, date-pit shaped, wooden object. The defensive players try to obtain the locust or quickly pick up the locust and throw it into the minefield; if the locust misses the minefield, the offensive team play again.

    After each turn, the distance between the place where the locust landed and the minefield is measured. The team which first reaches the distance agreed upon beforehand wins. If the defenders obtain the locust or successfully throw it into the minefield, then they get the play.

    This sport which was developed over the long history of the Sala people is full of national characteristics and has attracted many participants. Why not join in for a while and test your running ability, speed, timing and judgment of space? Editem