Naqu Qiaqing Horse Racing Festival Opens in Tibet

Naqu, Tibet, September 5, 2025. Running under the motto “Sixty Years of Progress, Grateful to the Party · A New Journey Awaits in the Seasons Ahead,” the Naqu City Qiaqing Horse Racing Tibet Festival was ceremoniously opened at the Gesar Horse Racing Arena. The six-decade milestone of the area’s accomplishments was the underlying theme of this year’s celebration, giving it a lot of implications.

The opening ceremony brought together city leaders, officials from provinces and cities that provide support to Tibet, representatives of major central state-owned enterprises, leaders from sister cities and prefectures, and guests from diverse sectors. They joined cadres and residents of all ethnic groups to witness one of the most anticipated cultural and sporting gatherings in northern Tibet.

Mima Dorje, Deputy Secretary of the Seni District Committee and nominee for Director of the District People’s Congress, addressed the audience with remarks highlighting the dual importance of the Tibet Festival. He noted that the Naqu City Qiaqing Horse Racing Tibet Festival is both a traditional competition reflecting skill and courage and a cultural platform that demonstrates unity and progress. He particularly mentioned that the occasion displays the accomplishments of Naqu’s superior growth and, at the same time, a forum for the communication of the different ethnic communities.

After his speech, Li Dong, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of Naqu and Secretary of the Seni District Committee, delivered the information that the Naqu City Qiaqing Horse Racing Tibet Festival 2025 had gone off with the first official shot. The declaration was accompanied by an ovation and shouts from the gathered crowd.

The Qiaqing Horse Racing Festival is not only considered a major cultural event of Naqu but also that of the entire northern Tibetan area. Once, horse racing was closely tied to a pastoral way of life, and it was also deeply rooted in the local community’s history. Over time, the festival of Tibet has become a celebration of local people’s pride that, apart from being a sporting event, also stands as people’s solidarity and the continuation of their customs and traditions.

The Tibet Festival is still a festival of the same customs of the past learned by oral tradition and passed from one generation to another. Along with the races, the event has an extensive program that comprises the exhibition of music and dance of Tibet, the crafts, and the tasting of local gastronomy. These celebrations present the Tibet Festival not only as a symbol of progress and modernization, but also as a cultural heritage, through a visual and sensory experience of the Tibet culture of Naqu.

One of the milestones celebrated by the 2025 event is the advancement accomplished by Naqu over the last six decades. The town’s officials acknowledged that the amazing developments in the last 60 years can be clearly seen in the areas of the city, education, health, and nature conservation. Apart from better roads and connections, which facilitated transportation between Naqu and the rest of Tibet, social services have also raised, as the new schools and hospitals testify the changes.

Mima Dorje, in his speech, emphasized that the festival is not only a chance to admire the achieved goals but also to think about the upcoming objectives. He thanked the Party and acknowledged the assistance given by other provinces and cities, pointing out that these measures have played a role in the progress of Naqu.

The unity among the different ethnic groups was a recurrent subject treated at the first ceremony. Besides being a very popular sporting event, the festival is know for being as one factor for people from different cultural backgrounds as it provides a common celebration. Organizers remarked that such events are instrumental in breaking stereotypes and generating a spirit of working together, thus deepening the area’s social fabric.

The involvement of government officials, businesses, and twin towns is an indication that Naqu has established longer-term relationships beyond the fast area. By being at the festival, they underlined the importance of alliances and helping each other as a means of making progress.

The festival, Qiaqing Horse Racing in Naqu City, remains very much dependent on its history, and yet it is able to continue such a long and successful tradition of adapting to modern times. The slogan of the day, while the festival is deeply entrenched in its heritage, the Naqu City Qiaqing Horse Racing Festival keeps on changing with the times. “Sixty Years of Progress, Grateful to the Party · A New Journey Awaits in the Seasons Ahead”, is both a retrospective of one’s feats and an expression of optimism.

City leaders had mentioned that the festival will still provide an opportunity for cultural exchange, sports, and regional cooperation. Moreover, the festival is expected to extend its reach and influence, not only locally but also internationally, through the positive flow of the social and economic sectors in Naqu. It will thus be able to re-energize its function as a nexus of solidarity and cultural vibrancy of the vast northern Tibetan grasslands.

2025 Naqu City Qiaqing Horse Racing Festival proudly and solemnly inaugurated its journey on-site. After the onset of competitions and the swingings of cultural events, the festival embodies the revival of the area’s origins along with a visual representation of the advancement achieved in the last six decades. Naqu and its people have received a present in the form of the festival, which is more than a yearly conference but also a witness to the development, harmony, and a future laden with possibilities.