Jockey Club (Yushu Jockey Club)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Jockey Club (Yushu Jockey Club)

Applicant: Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province

Project No.: 815

Project No.: VI - 43

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional sports, recreation and acrobatics

Region: Qinghai Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province

Protection unit: Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Cultural Center

Introduction to the Jockey Club (Yushu Jockey Club)

Applicant: Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province

Yushu Jockey Club is one of the local traditional recreational activities. Its origin can be traced back to the flourishing age of Tubo, which has a history of more than 1300 years. Nowadays, no matter offering sacrifices to gods, welcoming guests or holding weddings in Yushu area, horse races are held every festival.

The traditional Yushu Jockey Club is held in zasiko grassland from late July to early August every year. The Jockey Club begins with the ancient custom of burning cypress and simmering mulberry to worship God, followed by the entrance ceremony of religious honor guard, song and dance performance team and horse team. The main contents include running horse archery, riding horse shooting, running horse to pick up hada, running horse upside down, running horse suspension, etc. in addition, there are long-distance running Marseilles, walking Marseilles, yak race, colorful traditional folk songs and dances, and national sports Costume performance, etc.

Yushu Jockey Club is an important way to inherit and carry forward the excellent traditional culture of the Tibetan nationality. It is also a great gathering of folk culture in Yushu area. In this case, the people in pastoral areas directly participate in cultural and entertainment activities in this way, which makes this grand meeting bearing heavy historical and cultural accumulation have distinct characteristics of national folk culture and broad mass base.

With the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, the number of horse trainers has increased for many years, and few young people inherit the traditional skills of the Jockey Club. Yushu Jockey Club is on the verge of extinction and needs to be protected.