The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-06
SPORT IN NORTH CHINA.
Foreign Residents of Shanghai Enjoy the
Various Games of All Seasons.

Foreign Residents of shanghai Enjoy the
Various Games of All Seasons.
To all foreign residents in the open ports"
OF North China life offers many pleasures in
compensation for exile. and those who love
sport are indeed to be envled. Shanghai. tho
largest and most important Of these settle
ments has long been dubbed "Sportsman's
Paradise. ana 1t must certainly merit the ap-
pellation. for the world probably contains no
other Llace where man can 80 cheapy enjoy
almost any variety Of sport yet live in comfort
and attend to his business.
Its sporting clubs are numerous. The Race
Club was organized nearly half a century ago
Great events from a social as well as q sport
ing point OF view are the spring and autumn
meetings. during which all business Is sus-
pended and the entire foreign population t!ocks
to the races. As the course Is not fenced
In. it is always surrounded by a large crowd Of
Celestials. keenly interested In tho foreign
play pidgin" In the days when professional
jockeys and trainers were employed and the
principal races were run by imported thor
oughbreds. the few events added for Chinese
ponies were looked upon as a racing Joke But
for many years past the sturdy native +" gees"
have held sole possession OF the course Owing
to the fact that all breeding IS done In Mongo-
lia whence no mares are exported the ponies
are without known pedigree. and When herds
OF them come overland to Shanghai. purchasers
have only what the Chinese call good look
see" to guide them In other words. newly
arrived ponies or "grifflns " must be judged by
condition alone.
At every meeting certain number OF races
are open only to "griffns" and those failing
to win laurels are sold. to be used according to
their merits. for cross country riding. for
hacks. or In traps. A previous process Of weed
ing takes place before the meeting. when the
ponies are trained and unlikely ones are sent
to the auction. All owners are also trainers.
and the early morning gatherings on the grand
stand. where they and their friends moot to
time ponies and enjoy coffee with little
Cup" are q pleasant feature in Shanghai life
Professional jockeys are ruled of the course
and riding by amateurs has necessitated a
high scale OF weights. $40 pounds for twelve
hands and three pounds extra for every inch
above being the official standard. These figures
Will give some idea Of the remar bic stamina
OF Chinese ponies. When it is added that they
stiff hunts OF nine or ten miles. Jumping like
deer and scrambung Ike goats across rough
SS%ny us hs hr e G e,s
pony is about IA hands high. has thick,
somewhat elumsy neck :, but Is otherwise well
YYsed formerly to bring 6iG prises at auction;
added inches do not carry with them increased
strength. The giant pony Q! lo hands is
and while many stocky little fellows Of II
hands have won fame on the racecourse and
sE.nsyb very big pony has especially
Is being in way oirshoots OF the Race Club
tS PHf Hunt Hs 9per Hant snhs may ni
hounds. usually numbering thirteen couples
and has as master Of the hunt an English gen;
has " excele G Judgment Wife the rtns sea- Ss
son lasts the master takes out his hounds three
.ar, Il s r 'Sr is
inx aud later in the winter at $50 o'clock in
TIE afternoon: Az the meet Is nIwaE1 within a
permit busy men to hunt. Those who occupy
subordinate E9stI9ns must however, content
the meets OF that club taking place only on
Saturday afternoons and on LuDlc HOLIDAYS
only good 6orscwomen can do SO SO successiuIy
The pace is severe the gong rough and It IS
Sb rbe ehTSpSa
by deep Shiny banks. The streams. il not
torded, must be crossed on bridges often bur
meath. and a " br idge fall is one Of tho com
plenty Of good clean-cnt jumping. Artificial
bitches made for irriGating purposes inter5rct
"a t ii"sa where in rapid c. H1H from ON
ten totwenty-h five rrnpstr JuIpp can be taken.
Inrs Hgs vary j. With wSen rm SIX t. s.
footer it is always comforting to remember
that several ponies have on the steeEleehasc
wall. Fences are LACKING, but here and there
a mud wall serves to keep riders, from forget
mostly rut and Throw. but as the burrows are
not cTamped. il is II well mounted. more enjoy
able t. bound over them than TO gallon on The
the croSs-country riding about Shanghai must
The most popular and democratic among all
the settlements spYrtinR orEan@ati3ns i the
Paper Hunt Club Its dues are small, and dis
so cheaplt p.eKed up at auction that there are
few clerks IN the place who feel too poor to own
one. at least ihdee! sons some , yoGang men make
ing number Of these "griflins." riding them
pluckily. and selling any that prove to be tue
riders do not care to risk life and limb across
country on perfectly green pony. there e al;
S6Ss6 1F I'D $685. M s61a he nsE Tsn
mruch as 500, while a winner mtSn tctch 500
The paper hunt. always advertised in the
daily puper. never fails to attract flock Of
seldom follow as the great number of riders
and consequent 10 'p3Ta"H t at Grds"s pn4
ing for the rinish is, however. always much
smaller than the, one, which started. incXpe-
ali along the line The leading lightweight
and leading heSSyyrsiEht each rse".ySY rrize,
; sys m"s s1Ss '''" tn" crowd of spec
when growing crops PIT an end to cross
gin. These are continued all Through tho hot
weather and a creditnhe hispay 81 we'll
Shooting, close rival IN popularity q racing
HnS 6y 3!oIsnsIs l. /: rsG25de4 n 'fS
North China that sixty wears ago. some time
before shanghai was opened y treaty, Sflrcrs
POO mout h used to land IN parties and shoot