RODÉO /180 chevaux & 126 bovins du Canada expédiés en Chine

[Animal 0]

Published On Sun May 15 2011

Rodeo seeks out new markets

A cause des prix élevés pour l'expédition de ces animaux en Chine = $10,000 pour expédier un seul cheval en Chine, après les spectacles, les animaux seront probablement mangés en Chine...

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/991665--rodeo-seeks-out-new-markets

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Buckin’ broncos in the People’s Republic
2011/05/08 22:59:00 EmailPrint
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By Bill Schiller
Asia Bureau
BEIJING—From the tip of his broad-rimmed Resistol cowboy hat to the toes of his Anderson Bean boots, America’s Richard Tucker might be the most committed rodeo enthusiast in the world.

Last week he brought zeal, salesmanship and a surprise announcement here: saddle up China, the rodeo is coming!

With fanfare that included a mechanical bull, a Chinese country and western band and a posse of Chinese cowgirls wearing thigh-high white leather boots, Tucker announced that an eight-day cowboy cultural extravaganza will take place in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium this October.

“This is the biggest venue and the finest stadium in the fastest-growing market in the world,” Tucker said later in an interview. “And I want to put on the biggest and best rodeo that has ever been seen in the world.”

That will take some doing. The logistics are staggering.

The show, known as Rodeo China, will feature 120 cowboys, 180 horses, 36 bulls and 90 steers — all coming to China from abroad.

The horses will be quarantined in Calgary before being shipped out to China.

And it won’t be just spectacle. There will be money — big money. The competition will feature an $8-million purse, the biggest in the history of what Tucker calls “America’s oldest sport.”

Blessed by Chinese authorities, who were on hand for the announcement, Rodeo China will be the biggest event staged in the Bird’s Nest since the 2008 Summer Olympics.

“This will be the Super Bowl of rodeo,” promised Rick Garson of ZZYX Entertainment, the show’s producer, saying organizers will deliver a “wow factor” befitting one of the world’s most prestigious venues.

No rodeo has ever been staged in China.

But few here have forgotten the iconic image of one-time Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping wearing a cowboy hat during his famous 1979 American tour, which included a visit to a rodeo in a Houston suburb.

The beaming, diminutive Deng warmed hearts in China and the U.S. by holding his hat high and waving to the crowd.

Tucker, his co-promoter wife, Carrie, and their Rodeo China team remember that moment vividly and hope to build on it.

They say every one of the 70,000 Chinese fans expected to attend Rodeo China’s opening night will be given a Texas-made Resistol cowboy hat on arrival.

Could this be the beginning of rodeo diplomacy?

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http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/987950