A company boss has returned to the original form of horse-power in an effort to beat the traffic and save the environment on the way to work.
Though not an unsurprising sight around a quaint English hamlet, a CEO and his secretary trotting past the Xianyang traffic in Shanxi Province would certainly make a few heads turn. However, despite the staring passers-by, Old He makes the daily 8km commute to the office on the back of his CNY80,000 ($12,300) horse “Wu Zhui” in around 20 minutes, making the journey just as fast as driving.
He encourages others to play their part in lowering their carbon footprint, claiming that a good horse can be bought for only CNY20,000 ($3,000) which makes it cheaper than buying a car. Fellow equine enthusiasts will also enjoy the benefits of no traffic, no gas, no annual inspections, no tickets, and no need to wait for a government permit according to He.
Come rain or shine, Old He has been riding his horse to work for the last two years and has become accustomed to the puzzled gaze of onlookers as he trots by. In extreme weather conditions, however, He can choose to drive one of his many luxury cars, whose value he estimates at just under CNY1 million ($150,000).