Mountain venue sees polo reach new heights of appeal

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Polo players compete at the inaugural Rose Polo Cup on 3 August on Xiannyu Mountain in Wulong district, Chongqing (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Surrounded by green mountains, shrouded by white clouds, over 100 Chinese spectators enjoyed a summer afternoon in Wulong district, Chongqing, watching an international women’s polo match, sipping Champagne and listening to music played by a popular local symphony orchestra.

In recent years, polo, once hailed as “the sport of kings”, a high-end team sport with ancient roots, has started to gain popularity in China, as a group of Chinese polo lovers have been trying to revive the sport’s culture in the country.

“I knew little about polo before I was invited to watch the match this time, but now I am deeply attracted to this niche sport,” said Wang Yanshan, a spectator who flew from Beijing to the southwestern municipality.

In pink, the dress code of the event, the Chinese spectators tasted the charm of the polo event. They sat under the white tents, drank pink sparkling wine and afternoon tea, and chatted with friends, while cheering for the polo players on the field.

The 1003 Polo Club hosted the inaugural Rose Polo Cup earlier this month, an international tournament dedicated to female riders, at its newly built facility on Xiannyu Mountain, or Fairy Mountain, in the district which boasts a breathtakingly beautiful natural landscape.

It attracted top polo players from Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Switzerland, Argentina, Ireland and China. They formed three teams, British Rainbow Team, Singapore Claremont Family Office Team and Canadian Sunshine Team, to compete against each other. The British Rainbow Team won the title.

A local symphony orchestra performs at the event (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

As a mixed-gender sport, polo has historically been dominated by male players, but women currently represent the fastest growing sector of the game, accounting for 40 per cent of US Polo Association membership.

“It is the highest level of women’s polo competition in China,” says Luo Bin, a polo player herself and the co-founder of the club.

“I hope to take this opportunity to help Chinese players enhance their game, provide the public with a social experience around the sport, as well as make the world polo enthusiasts know about the rapid development of Chinese women’s polo.”

Founded in 2017 in Beijing with another polo lover, Jackie Wang, the club aims to revive the sport in China, especially among women and young people.

In China, paintings, murals, figurines and other images of polo can be traced as far back as the Tang Dynasty (618-907), with both male and female aristocrats depicted chasing the ball on horseback.

During the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), modern polo was introduced by expatriates who lived in cities, such as Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin.

During the 1930s, it enjoyed a period of popularity in China and, in 1959, during the first-ever National Games, polo was included as an official sport.

“Situated in the high mountains with an average 5,740 feet above sea level, our club enjoys beautiful views and ideal weather for the sport,” Luo says.

Hou Tianbo, director of the development department of the Chinese Equestrian Association and deputy director of the Polo Professional Committee, says that this event, staged in a top tourist spot, is an innovative approach to attract general public to the sport.

“At present, sports have become an important part of many people’s lives. While challenging the physical and spiritual limits of human beings, they are also constantly creating more possibilities for social progress and life,” he says. “Chinese polo development is still in an early stage and needs a lot of investment and promotion.”