South China Morning Post 3/13/04: Beijing plans bullfighting

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South China Morning Post Saturday, March 13, 2004

 

Is Beijing ready for Spanish bullfights?

It goes against Chinese culture, says academic, as bullring nears

completion

DAVID FANG

 

Beijing could host its first bullfight before the year is out.

 

But plans to import beasts and bullfighters from the cradle of the

sport, Spain, have fallen foul of mad cow disease, and it is not

clear who the intended audience for the fights is. An academic said

bullfighting's ethos clashed with Chinese culture.

 

A 3,000-seat arena - Asia's biggest purpose-built bull ring - is

nearing completion in Daxing district, next to the Beijing Wildlife

Park. As well as staging Spanish-style bullfights, it would host

rodeos, said Jiao Shenhai, of the Daxing tourism administration bureau.

 

The arena, built at a cost of 210 million yuan, was to have begun

operating in May. But construction work was delayed by the outbreak of

Sars last year.

 

Mr Jiao said: " We had planned to import fighting bulls from Spain and

employ some Spanish toreadors. But we had to change our plans after

mad cow disease broke out in Spain.

 

" We are now in talks with a firm to import Spanish fighting bulls from

the United States. Hopefully, after we have imported some, we can breed

fighting bulls for the arena in Beijing. The toreadors we will employ

from overseas. "

 

Mr Jiao did not say how many bullfights a year would be staged in the

20-hectare arena, nor who the intended audience was.

 

Xu Huai, a volunteer with the Capital Animal Welfare Association,

challenged Daxing's decision to introduce the activity.

 

" It's brutal and bloody, " she said. " It is unbelievable they are

introducing such a controversial sport into the capital ahead of the

Beijing Olympics.

 

" Officials know nothing about the animal welfare at all. We will

organise protests against the project. It's really unbearable. "

 

Mr Jiao would not comment on animal rights.

 

Guan Shijie, a professor who specialises in cross-cultural communications

at the School of Journalism and Communication of Peking University, also

cast doubt on the reception the sport would get on the mainland.

 

He said: " Bullfighting is an intrepid and oppositional sport, but Chinese

culture is quite mild. Besides, Chinese see the bull as an animal that is

laborious and honest. People always look on them as good friends. I don't

think Chinese will accept it. "

 

College student Shen Jingjing was excited by the prospect of being able

to see bullfighting.

 

" I will go there and enjoy it, " Ms Shen said. " You eat beef, right? I

think few people can seriously talk about the welfare of fighting bulls. "

 

In the southwestern province of Guizhou, minority Miao communities have

kept alive their ancient bullfighting custom, in part to draw tourists.

Unlike the Spanish style - toreador versus bull - the Miao pit two bulls

against each other.

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