S5E01 - Beijing Masters / Wuxi Enlin / A horse rider with 2 dogs

And with that, let's take a closer look at what's happening at this year's Beijing Masters.

The 2026 Longjing Beijing Masters will take place from October 15 to 18 at the National Stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest.

Over years, the event has attracted accumulated 128 international riders, around 1,800 Chinese riders and more than 2,800 horses, with total price money exceeding 24 million RMB and live attendance approaching 380,000.

One thing that makes the master particularly interesting is how competitive the qualification process is.

In China, the road to the business series has been the official qualification pathway since 2017.

And in 2026, the series covered four regions, including Beijing and the surrounding area, Shanghai, southwest China, and the Greater Bay Area, with 10 lakhs in total.

Nearly 4,600 horse and rider combinations took part, and just 377 qualified for the Masters.

So you can really see how competitive that pathway is.

and on the international side.

13 top riders from 7 countries will compete at the Bird's Nest, including Olympic gold medalists, World Cup champions and World Championship winners.

For spectators, there are 3 seating options, grandstand, VIP and infield.

Tickets range from $188 to $2988 RMB, so there are options for different budgets.

And there's another reason this year's event feels especially significant.

2026 is the Chinese Year of the Horse, which makes it a pretty fitting year for a major international equestrian event.