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
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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 in Modern China – 4
Since 1996, the Chinese government has started to implement a nationwide grazing ban in selected areas with the aim of relieving overgrazing and erosion of the grasslands. This has inevitably had an adverse effect on the pastoralists’ life. Few herders have the knowledge or the technological hardware to provide for their animals in feedlots, and … Continue reading The Horses in Modern China – 4
The Horses in Modern China – 3
Land degradation, too, makes pasture land less available for grassland husbandry. World Bank figures show that China has the third largest area of grassland after Australia and Russia. However, vast swathes of its grassland have become degraded; the Loess Plateau region and other extensive western areas have suffered especially badly. According to the People’s Republic … Continue reading The Horses in Modern China – 3
The Horses in Modern China – 2
In the Changdu district of Tibet, more and more motorcycle dealers are springing up. Motorbikes are found parked in pastoral farms and by small dwellings all over the area. Before proper roads had been built, pastoralists relied on horses to get about. But horses can cover only 50 to 60 kilometres a day and it … Continue reading The Horses in Modern China – 2
The Horses in Modern China – 1
Following the collapse of China’s imperial dynasties in the early 20th century, the horse started a new journey and so did its riding partners. Horses in China are mostly privately owned. While only a handful, which belong to the wealthy, lead a carefree life, the vast majority are kept perpetually busy. All over China, they … Continue reading The Horses in Modern China – 1
The Horses of China 