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Hermès and Horses
Greek Mythology: Hermès was the messenger of the gods, god of trade and commerce as well as patron of travelers. 1937: First Silk Scarf It was a collaboration between Robert Dumas-Hermes and the artist Hugo Grygkar, made with Chinese silk which was twice as strong as any other silk available back then. 1930s: The Sac … Continue reading Hermès and Horses
1. Chinese Horses in Extreme Environments: The Przewalski’s Horse
The Przewalski’s horse is the only known surviving wild equine native to the arid desert prairie regions in Central Asia, specifically Outer Mongolia and China. Przewaski's horses are gazing in Mountain Kalamaili Ungulate Nature Reserve in Xinjiang, China The critically endangered subspecies of wild horse is named after the Russian geographer and explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky … Continue reading 1. Chinese Horses in Extreme Environments: The Przewalski’s Horse
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Mogol Empire: Harsh Punishments for Horse-Related Crimes
Horse slaughter was forbidden during the Yuan dynasty, even for purposes of ceremonial banquets for senior officials. Sick and old horses had to be certified as being of no use before slaughter. If caught secretly slaughtering horses or cattle, each perpetrator would be sentenced to 100 strokes of the paddle and to a fine, which … Continue reading Mogol Empire: Harsh Punishments for Horse-Related Crimes
Genghis Khan’s Charger
The Mongolian horse is the breed we most often associate with Mongolia, where the people have been famous for their horsemanship since history began. As one of the oldest surviving horse breeds in the world, Mongolian horses feature the largest genetic variety among all the Chinese horse breeds, representing an original nature less affected by … Continue reading Genghis Khan’s Charger
Bookish.asia Review
Book review by John Grant Ross, author of You Don't Know China and Formosan Odyssey. China is not usually associated with horses – well, other than being an agrarian civilisation long in opposition to the nomadic horse peoples of Central Asia – and yet it has a rich equestrian history and culture, as detailed in breadth and … Continue reading Bookish.asia Review
Asian Review of Books
Book review by David Chaffetz who is the author of Three Asian Divas: Women, Art and Culture in Shiraz, Delhi and Yangzhou (Abbreviated Press, November 2019). He is working on a new book about the horse in Asian history. “When people talk of horses, no one ever thinks of China,” complains Yin Hung Young in the opening … Continue reading Asian Review of Books
Mongol Empire: Took more than 40 Years to subjugate China
Mongol warriors’ traditional military advantages and cavalry tactics could not be fully deployed in their conquest of the Song dynasty. The Mongol Empire took more than 40 years to subjugate the Song but needed far less time to defeat other countries: they took Siberia in one year (1207), Qara Khitai (1216–1218) and Khwarazm (1219–1220) in … Continue reading Mongol Empire: Took more than 40 Years to subjugate China
Mongol Empire: Cavalry tactics
China’s salvation had rested with the fragmentation of the nomadic tribes until 1211, when the great Genghis Khan (1162–1227) unified these Mongol tribes into one sweeping confederacy which then convulsed the world. The intrepid Mongol warriors were by far the most effective and ruthless cavalry forces of all time. They were said to be able … Continue reading Mongol Empire: Cavalry tactics
The Horses of China 