On the morning of July 23, villagers dressed in traditional costume prepared highland barely wine and buttered tea. They sang and danced to celebrate the festival. It was the third time for Lhapa Tsering to participate in the horse race. He said that the horse race was the most favorable event during the Wangguo Festival.

 

The horse race kicked off at 11 o'clock. Riders dressed up and carried bows on their backs. They competed in 4,000-meter speed race, picking up khata, arrow shooting and horseback performance programs. The spectators watched the race and cheered for players. With cheers from audiences, riders yelled and performed on the horseback.

 

Zhang Wei, a tourist from Central China's Hunan Province, said that he heard of this horse-racing gala from his friend who worked in Chushur County, and took his son to watch the horse racing at this time.“The horse-racing is fabulous. Picking up Khata is especially exciting," says Zhang.

 

After the activity, riders with top rankings were awarded. They were also encouraged to win honor for Tsapanang Village. For other riders, they were “punished" with drinking, singing and dancing. The locals danced  "Guozhuang"  (Tibetan circle dance) with tourists. In a cheerful atmosphere, the three-day Wangguo Festival closed.

By:Liu Fang, Zhu Shan