Conghua Racecourse Runway. Photo by Southern ** reporter Wu Ming.
It takes more than an hour to drive from downtown Guangzhou to Conghua District, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Conghua Racecourse is located on the mountainside of the Conghua River, surrounded by lush trees and mountain peaks. Five years ago, on 18 February, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was officially released, proposing to strengthen co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland to promote the development of equine sports and related industries. In five years, there have been more than 2With 50,000 horses racing between Guangdong and Hong Kong, Conghua Racecourse has also transformed from a world-class horse training centre into a core project to promote the development of the equine industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and has also become a vivid portrayal of the institutional innovation and complementary advantages of Guangdong and Hong Kong under the "one country, two systems" principle, contributing to the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area.
New impetus for consumption growth
In 2009, Guangzhou, which was preparing to host the Asian Games, became the first city in the mainland to host international equestrian competitions. Due to its lack of relevant experience, the Guangzhou Asian Organizing Committee chose to "ask for help" from Hong Kong and signed a cooperation agreement with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, one of the world's largest racing institutions.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club provided a full range of technical services for the Asian Games equestrian events, including venue construction and technical support for Conghua Racecourse. After the race, Conghua Racecourse was handed over to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for renovation and expansion, and developed into a world-class equine training centre.
Compared to the historic Hong Kong Happy Valley Racecourse and the world-famous Hong Kong Sha Tin Racecourse, what is unique about the "young" Conghua Racecourse? Chen Yuepeng, head of the Mainland Affairs Department of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, told reporters that Conghua Racecourse has better conditions in terms of environment, training facilities, and facilities.
Conghua Racecourse covers an area of more than 150 hectares, with an area of more than 20 standard football fields, and the spacious environment can make the horses feel comfortable. Conghua Racecourse also has more advanced training facilities, with a hiking track that is not available in Hong Kong, which can specialize in training the hind limb strength of horses. In addition, Conghua Horse Farm also has the country's premier international equine hospital and equine facilities. "Horses that have been trained at Conghua Racecourse and then returned to Hong Kong to race usually have quite good results. Chen Yuepeng said with a smile.
In the future, Conghua Racecourse will not only be a training center for horses, but also plan to host regular horse racing events from April 2026. Conghua Racecourse is building a spectator stand that can accommodate more than 9,500 people, which is expected to be completed in 2025. "We believe that Conghua Racecourse will become a new engine for local economic development. Chen Yuepeng expects that the holding of regular horse racing events can bring more tourists and more economic growth points, promote the integration of different industrial chains of sports, culture and tourism, and help Guangdong's high-quality economic development.
The "seeds" of the equine industry
The development of the horse industry is inseparable from the support of talents. According to statistics, Conghua Racecourse has nearly 900 employees, most of whom are mainland employees and more than 400 are Conghua local residents.
Zheng Wenshen, a resident of Conghua, became a stable assistant at Conghua Racecourse six years ago with his love for animals. He starts work at 4 a.m. every day and takes care of the horses, including grooming, feeding, and preparing for drills.
The work of the stable assistant is not easy, but as soon as he talks about horses, the corners of Zheng Wenshen's mouth can't help but rise. He told reporters that he likes to comb the horse's mane and have intimate physical contact with the horse, "The horse is like a dog at home, very cordial and relaxed."
Before Zheng Wenshen entered Conghua Horse Farm, he had never been in contact with the horse-related industry. Through the Hong Kong Jockey Club's talent development programme, he learned the professional knowledge and practical operation of horses, and went to Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong to experience horse racing culture, and gradually entered the equine sport and related industries. Today, he has been promoted to Assistant Stable Officer, responsible for data collation of horse drills.
In addition to local staff, Conghua Racecourse also has a number of employees from Hong Kong, including Wong Chak Shun, who provided technical guidance for the construction of the racecourse.
Graduated from the Department of Biology of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Wong Chak Shun worked at the Hong Kong Jockey Club for 22 years before coming to Conghua from Hong Kong in 2010 to participate in the Guangzhou Asian Games. Today, he is the Administrative Manager of the Racetrack, Racetrack and Facilities at Conghua Racecourse, where he is responsible for the maintenance of the tracks and racecraft facilities, as well as the maintenance of equestrian venues.
When I first arrived, I couldn't find any technicians who were familiar with the racetracks in the mainland. Huang Zeshun told reporters. In 2010, he recruited 10 local residents from Conghua to form a team responsible for maintaining the site, and provided hands-on training. Today, the team has grown to 41 people.
In Huang Zeshun's view, he is like bringing a "seed" from Hong Kong, blossoming and bearing fruit in Conghua.
Southern ** reporter Wu Binbin
Co-ordinator: Chen Yu.