A Village Super League horse racing event was held in Baotou City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to celebrate the Duanwu or Dragon Boat Festival, blending athletic competition with nomadic culture in a place where boat racing is scarce.
The annual festival on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar Chinese calendar fell on Saturday this year, when it started a three-day holiday. It is a time to get rid of misfortune as venomous animals were believed to appear at this juncture. It is also a time to commemorate the beloved Chinese poet Qu Yuan (339-278 BC) from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). T
The tournament in Damao Banner of Baotou featured three distinct race categories, speed horses, ambling horses, and leopard-spotted Appaloosas, with 63 riders from 14 teams riding 120 horses through four grueling laps of a 1,600-meter circular track.
As starting gates flew open, riders burst forth like arrows, their mounts' pounding hooves syncing with roaring crowds. Particularly captivating were the junior jockeys in the under-1.4-meter speed races, whose small statures belied their fearless, whip-cracking sprints to the finish line.
Beyond the main events, visitors immersed themselves in cultural exchanges, from sheep shearing demonstrations to camel rides and folk games, offering urban children rare hands-on experiences with nomadic lifestyles. The festival's successful fusion of heritage and modern sports tourism has become a model in promoting regional cultural-ecological development, drawing visitors from across the country to Inner Mongolia's vast grasslands.
Baotou holds horse racing to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival
Some Iranians in Türkiye are crossing back over the border, driven by worry and desperation, as a nationwide communications blackout in Iran has left them cut off from their loved ones.
Protests have erupted in many Iranian cities since Dec. 28. They initially began with Tehran bazaar merchants demonstrating against the sharp devaluation of the national currency rial, and soaring inflation, before spreading to other cities. The unrest has led to casualties among both security forces and civilians.
At the Turkish-Iranian border, many are returning with no certainty about what awaits them, filled instead with questions and growing fear for those on the other side of the border.
"I went to Van yesterday for internet. I urgently needed to use the internet. I got it done. Now I'm heading straight back. There are protests everywhere. We can't get any news. We can't communicate with our families. And it's not just me, there are many Iranians outside the country who can't reach their families," said Feriste, an Iranian citizen.
With communications blacked out across Iran, those outside the country feel powerless to check on the situation back home. For some, this silence has prompted them to return across the border, even as tensions continue to rise.
"We can't get any news. There is no internet. Everything is shut down. I want to search. I want to find out. I want to see my brother. I'm going to see my family," said Husnu, an Iranian citizen.
"I work in Türkiye, and I have no news from Iran at all. I'm going back because I'm worried about my family. It's been days since I last heard from them, and because I'm worried, I'm returning to Iran now. Of course, we are concerned about our safety. We don't know what awaits us there," said another Iranian.
With protests escalating and government blackouts still in place, many Iranians are caught between staying in safety abroad and risking everything to reconnect with their families.
"We had to come to Türkiye because we couldn't reach our families. Schools were closed already. All official institutions were shut down. We have no information about other cities either, because there is no communication network there. There is no television, no internet. We can't even check Twitter," said Nazlican, another Iranian citizen.
Iranians in Türkiye return home, fearing for their families amid unrest in Iran
Iranians in Türkiye return home, fearing for their families amid unrest in Iran
