Rekindling China's polo passion

For those who are unfamiliar with polo, it is played on horseback between two teams of four riders, with the aim of hitting a small ball into the goal at either end of a pitch, using long-handed mallets.

The game requires expert horsemanship, stamina and accuracy, and is divided into four periods of seven minutes, known as chukkas.

There is a three-minute break between each chukka, and at the extended half-time break, spectators are invited onto the pitch to tread down the divots in the turf.

Qiu said he is proud of the game's Chinese roots and he makes a point of highlighting them in the way the Kylin team dresses - wearing face masks, for both practical and cultural reasons.

"Polo represents passion and the culture of a nation, and our team does that by wearing masks," he said.

"The ancient warrior Gao Changgong, the prince of Lanling, was the first to ride into battle wearing a mask to scare his opponents, and then Chinese soldiers adopted them to protect their eyes from arrows. We wear the masks as a sign of our culture, but also because polo can be a very physical game.

"People get injured, particularly around the face and eyes, and it's amazing that, in so many years, no one has thought to do something like that to protect players' faces. When I read how Chinese warriors wore masks, I thought we should too."

The team's efforts to fly the Chinese flag in the UK and in the world of polo have already been recognized by significant figures in China.

Jin Xu, minister counselor at the Chinese embassy in London, was at a recent game, and the Kylin team is being supported by investment company Fosun International, which said the time is right to promote polo, a sport that fits in perfectly with the mood of contemporary China.