A horse racing competition started on Saturday in Dali City, southwest China's Yunnan Province to mark local Bai people's annual festival -- the "Third Month Fair," or "Sanyue Jie" in mandarin.
Dating back some 1,300 years to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Third Month Fair is a major festival in Dali, a main inhabited land of the Bai ethnic group, enchanting locals and tourists alike with its vibrant festivities.
Beyond equestrian teams from across Yunnan, this thousand-year-old traditional folk event has attracted horse racing clubs nationwide, showing the event's growing influence and the competition's rising standards.
In the race, riders galloped fiercely on the track, while spectators cheered with delight, creating a scene of joy and excitement.
"For the horse racing at this year's Third Month Fair, we have invited 18 teams with 90 horses from within and outside the province to compete," said Lyu Jie, deputy director of the Education and Sports Bureau of Dali City.
According to Lyu, the horses will compete in two major categories across 10 events, including speed racing and horseback archery.
Dali stages traditional horse racing at Third Month Fair
The Japanese society should do soul-searching regarding its history of aggression and adhere to the pacifist constitution, said Shiradori Hiroshi, a professor of the Hosei University, in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Tokyo on April 30.
He said the government's recent move to discuss revising the three security documents deserve particular attention as the country's foreign and security policies have already witnessed major changes.
"People outside of the country hold that Japan's post-war image as a 'peace state' is now facing a major shift. Against the backdrop of tremendous changes in its foreign and security policies, the revision of the three security documents deserves particular attention. There lacks public debate in terms of the procedure, with policy changes decided unilaterally at Cabinet meetings. It is necessary to fully explain to the public as to whether such a practice is proper," said Hiroshi.
The Japanese government held its first expert panel meeting to discuss revisions to the three security documents at the Prime Minister's Office on April 27, local media reported.
Japan's current National Security Strategy and two related documents, formulated in 2022, were designed to cover the next 10 years, but the government led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has decided to move up the timetable to accelerate the revision process.
Increasing defense spending is one of the key topics of the meeting, according to Kyodo News.
Hiroshi said this year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, or Tokyo Trials, and the Japanese society must do soul-searching regarding its history of aggression in WWII, when it brought enormous catastrophes on Asian countries.
"Eighty years have passed since the opening of the Tokyo Trials. Japan inflicted enormous suffering on Asian countries during WWII, which should serve as an opportunity for the soul-searching. It is exact on the basis of countless sacrifices that Japan's post-war pacifism and its identity as a 'peace state' took shape. On this 80th anniversary, it is necessary for Japan to re-examine and do soul-searching regarding its history," said Hiroshi.
The Japanese government's effort to revise the pacifist constitution is widely opposed by the public.
On Sunday, around 50,000 people gathered at Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, chanting slogans and holding banners against the government's push for constitutional revision and military expansion, the largest turnout of its kind in recent years.
Japan should adhere to pacifist constitution: scholar
