Golf as a Window into Modern China
Golf has become the quintessential “Chinese Dream” and serves as a barometer to China’s rise, according to award-winning journalist Dan Washburn at an ASNC event on September 16 co-hosted by Nixon Peabody. Washburn, who was joined by the former Treasurer of the U.S. Golf Association Fredric Nelson, spoke about his new book, The Forbidden Game: Golf and the Chinese Dream, and the transformation of golf in China. According to Washburn, golf has become a status symbol for the Chinese and represents similar characteristics as the American Dream: success and prosperity through hard work. The individual desire to project prosperity has contributed greatly to the success and popularity of golf in China.
The Forbidden Game captures the bizarre landscape of golf's growth in China: despite illegality of the sport, the number of golf courses has multiplied at an increasing rate in recent years. A 2004 moratorium issued by Beijing prohibits the construction of golf courses due to out of control real estate development and illegal seizure of farmland, but there has been little enforcement of this law. According to Washburn, the Chinese proverb “the mountain is high and the emperor is far away” describes the terminal problem of enforcing this law the further away one is away from Beijing. Moreover, developers have seized on this lax enforcement by exploiting loopholes, namely by calling these golf courses “Eco Parks” or “Green Spaces” in planning documents to circumvent official prohibitions.
The projection of wealth and status plays a major role in the rise in popularity of golf in China. According to Washburn, golf represents much more than a game to the Chinese and many golf courses are being built to capitalize on the growing desire of the Chinese to be associated with the high-class game. Indeed, golf is still considered a “rich man’s game,” but more and more people are picking up the sport as livelihoods change, the standard of living improves, and the pursuit of the Chinese dream continues. Washburn notes that the “Chinese dream big and know how to get things done.”