BMWs, Audis and Volvos are all too common a sight on the streets of Beijing. But horses, on the other hand, well that's a different matter.
On June 3, a man with the online name "Ku Bi" put away his jeep Cherokee and started riding his horse to work.
Just like millions of residents in Beijing, Ku works from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. Oddly enough, he is a department director of an auto company in Beijing.
At 7:30 a.m. that day, another man in Beijing was also riding a horse to work.
Two hours later, from another side of the city, five other horse-riding amateurs were seen walking their mounts from Gaobeidian, located at the east fourth ring road, down through Liangguang Road, Shuangjing, Guomao, Huamao and other prosperous regions to Shicha Lake.
The riding activities were not a coincidence, but a planned joint action organized by the Chinese Equestrian Association, aiming to spread a message- riding horses instead of driving cars, in order to protect the environment and keep healthy.
According to the association, 200 horse-riding amateurs in 19 cities participated in the activity. But in Beijing, a city ruled by automobiles, trouble was right around the corner.
Only minutes after setting out from the east of the city, Zhao Xiaoshuang was stopped by traffic police for half an hour. The officer claimed her actions were causing trouble on the street.
But the traffic cop could find no regulations to use against her. Nevertheless, the officer expressed his concerns, saying that if the horse was frightened by traffic or passersby, the results could be unpredictable.
The officer even called his commander for consultation, but because there are no related laws the official could do nothing.
The scene attracted many passersby, and Zhao explained that "it is rare to a see horse this high in Beijing, and that is why people are so interested."
Beijing in recent years has filled up with cars, and traffic conditions have continued to deteriorate. "The capital city is becoming a huge parking lot," said Zhao, who spends two hours driving to work every day. "It is really torturous for residents in Beijing who have to bear the daily traffic jams."
Buying a horse costs no more than 20,000 yuan (US$3,000) and raising it only requires 1,000 yuan a month. Buying a car costs over 300,000 yuan (US$46,400), and the cost of maintaining it is much higher, said Zhao, who owns an Audi. The amount of money it takes to buy a car can be used to keep a horse for 10 years...and a horse is much friendlier to the environment.
