It is hard to associate equestrian achievements with a peasant boy, but Li Mingkun, a young man from Yunnan province, is now one of six members of China’s national dressage equestrian team, which is currently attempting to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

In 1988, Li Mingkun was born in the rural area of Mouding County in Yunnan Province. Upon graduation from Yunnan Sports Vocational and Technical College in 2011, Li Mingkun was recommended to Xingyao Group, a Yunnan-based horse racing training and breeding enterprise.

At Xingyao Group, his job was to take care of the horses in the stables of the equestrian club. He soon stood out from his workmates. He always kept the stables clean, washed the horses carefully, and worked longer hours than the others. After work, when others were on their mobile phones, eating and drinking, he would go to the stables to examine the fodder, comb the horses’ manes and talk with the horses. The dirty and tiring work made many of his workmates flinch, but he was never bored with his job.

It is natural that hard work pays off. Li Mingkun eventually became one of the group’s first equestrian team members, then a horse trainer and finally an equestrian competitors. He did not change his diligence despite such a smooth rise. He still worked longer hours than others and spent much more time with the horses. In the process, his equestrian skills improved by leaps and bounds.

In August 2013, he won both individual and group championships at the first ever Yunnan Provincial Equestrian Invitational. After that, his personality, quality and talent were recognised by many coaches. He travelled to Shenzhen, Shaanxi and Beijing for further study. Later, he was sent to France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Austria to hone his equestrian skills. He worked for the Central Royal Stables in Zweibrücken, Germany and was trained by the national equestrian team coach Shen Qingzhou and the German master coach Andreas Rubly.

Li Mingkun believes that equestrianism is a cultural heritage that embodies perseverance and tenacity. It is true that equestrianism is a noble sport, but Li Mingkun thinks that the sport is noble spiritually rather than materially. The basic qualities for a good equestrian include independence, readiness to meet challenges, loyalty, and a sense of honour and a respect for women.

With such beliefs, the former peasant boy Li Mingkun was accepted by the Central Royal Stable in Zweibrüken and won the favour of German equestrian master Andreas Rubly.