Nadam And bull riding –the mixture of tradition and fashion

A winter Nadam, featuring popular sports eventsand entertainment among ethnic Mongolians, will open on December 23 in Hulunbuir, acity of north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

During the event, local residents will participate in three major activities – horseracing, archery and Mongolian wrestling – as well as a marathon and a skiing competition.

Nadam, usually held throughout the pastoral areas in summer or autumn, has a tradition of more than 700 years.

Although the Inner Mongolia is really historic and traditional,these years, young people Started bringing new sports in.

Hai Rihen, a 26-year-old from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, braced himself for his gate to open. Excitement bubbled through Hai, but he was also nervous as he sat atop a 450-kilogram, hot-tempered bull.

As the gate lifted, the wild-eyed, untamed bull rushed out of the narrow bucking chute and into the arena, where it thrust and kicked in every direction, determined to throw off its rider. In one swift move, the animal reared onto its hind legs and Hai tumbled off its back.

From the moment the gate opened, the entire scenario lasted just three seconds.

Hai’s bull riding is a rodeo sport that debuted in the US in the mid-19th century, favored among southern ranchers inspired by similar Mexican ranching contests. Variations of bull riding are also popular in countries such as Canada, Australia and Brazil, and now, this dare devil competition has made its way to China.

Not everyone likes the potential future rodeo trend in China.

Fang Chaohui, who has been an amateur horse rider in Gansu Province for more than ten years, told Metropolitan that bull riding is “too crazy and too dangerous” for Chinese people.

According to the rules of bull riding, riders must hold the reins with only one hand, while the other hand must be high up over the head. There is no saddle or stirrups on the bull’s back. The score is calculated according to the rider’s ability to control the bull, which means the angrier the bull and the more passionate the rider, the higher the score.

Currently, only two professional riders are getting trained in China, but Xinniu International Sports Culture Co., a Beijing-based company set on introducing bull riding to China, is widely recruiting more riders like Hai, who feeds off the rush of the sport.