重新詮釋的奢華 – 天津環亞國際馬球會

“Let others play at other things. The king of games is still the game of kings!” Engraved on a stone tablet near the polo ground in Gilgit, Pakistan.

「讓別人玩其他遊戲吧，帝王運動依舊是國王們玩的！」這是在一塊巴基斯坦吉爾吉特馬球場邊的石碑上刻著的。

Polo is an ancient game first recorded in Persian manuscripts and poetry some two and a half thousand years ago. It is only in the last 140 years or so that the modern game has spread throughout the world and is now played in no less than 77 countries. Polo continues to represent the pinnacle of a noble sport that celebrates the unique bond that exists between a horse and its rider. It is a hard sport, but also a sport of great grace, beauty, and harmony shown by polo players and the teams.

早於一千多年前，馬球這項古老的運動早已經出現在波斯人的詩歌和手稿中。而當代馬球的流行卻只是近一百四十年的事情，至今全世界已有至少七十七個國家參與這項運動。一直以來馬球運動都頌揚著騎手與其馬匹之間獨有的連繫與默契，這是一項真正的貴族運動，並能充份顯現出馬球選手與隊員之間的和諧和合作性。

Watching a polo match live brings the game alive. There is nothing like the rush of pounding hooves as a player deftly turns, races and maneuvers his pony in time to catch a tiny sphere of ballistic plastic travelling well over 100mph!

作為馬球比賽的觀眾，站在場邊時你會發現再沒有比看著球員們騎著馬匹以每小時一百英里的速度靈活地轉彎、奔馳及聽著嘶嘶的馬蹄聲更震撼人心了。

Boasting the largest polo facilities in China, Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club is a prestigious polo club featuring two international-sized polo fields, one indoor arena, stabling for 150 horses and a 167 room luxurious club hotel. The club has a line-up of glitz and glamour around the year on its events calendar like the inaugural ‘Goldin Gold Cup 2011’ which launched on 2-3July 2011 and showcases not just world-class professional polo players but also Europe’s most promising youth teams from England and France. Some of the players come from respected polo families, whose family and ancestors have always played an important role in polo. While Metropolitan Polo Club will provide extraordinary equestrian adventures, the newly opened Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Hotel will also offer unique experiences of a different nature like culinary odysseys, exquisite spa treatments, lavish suites and service excellence.

以擁有全中國最大的馬球設施而自豪的天津環亞國際馬球會擁有兩個國際標準的馬球場，一個室內運動場及能容納一百五十匹馬的馬房，還有一個一百六十七間客房的豪華會所式酒店。環亞國際馬球會年度賽程表上顯示了一連串精彩絕倫的馬球比賽，好像於剛過去的七月二、三日舉行的富國高銀黃金杯馬球賽，此馬球賽不僅薈萃了國際頂級的專業馬球隊員，還聚集了歐洲馬球的明日之星，包括英格蘭和法國的青少年馬球隊。有些隊員更來自備受尊崇的馬球世家，其家族成員包括祖父母都在馬球運動中扮演著極其重要的角色。 當馬球會帶給客人各種美妙而且精彩的國際體驗時，全新開幕的天津環亞國際馬球會大酒店。亦為客人呈現一種卓越的新體驗，如數不盡的美食、令客人身心放鬆的水療之旅，奢華舒適的套房和貼心的服務等。

At Le Pan, passionate chef Edward Voon creates sumptuous flavors by taking you on a mouthwatering tour to his world of creativity, bringing people a ‘fun’ fine dining experience by letting you participate in his cooking. He uses different techniques to change ingredient forms and thrill guests.  ‘For me, cooking is all about bringing people together, celebrating and having fun together,’ said Voon, ‘I will also use different wine as an ingredient in my future menu creation.’ Of course he will, since there is a five-storey wine collection and Wine museum in the Polo Club, which showcases a total of 26 precious French wineries like Château Cos d’Estournel from Saint Estèphe.

法式餐廳潘氏堡的主廚溫有成是一名十分有熱誠的廚師，他帶給客人的不只是味覺上的享受，而是令人垂涎三尺的美食創作體驗之旅。他讓食客能參與創作食物的過程，帶給他們一個有趣且具參與性的餐飲娛樂體驗。溫有成喜歡改變食材原有的外形，食客們亦樂於享受當中帶來的樂趣。他說：「對我來說，煮食是一個聚集朋友的渠道，在未來的創作中我希望可以加入不同的餐酒作食材，作出不同的新嘗試。」這樣的想法是理所當然的，因為於馬球會內除各式餐廳外還設有一座五層高的玻璃酒窖以及一個紅酒珍藏博物館，展示了共二十六個珍貴的法國酒廠故事，如法國Saint Estèphe區內的Château Cos d’Estournel。

General Director of Château Cos d’Estournel, Mr. Jean-Guillaume Prats says: “With the eye of a French winery owner, the idea of linking Polo and Wine together in the same place is really a new concept. Even though Argentinians drink wine and play polo for a long time in history, they just see wine as a casual thin. China, however, is doing a brand new thing which is worth supporting.’

Château Cos d’Estournel的General Director，Mr. Jean Guillaume Prats對我們說：「站在一個法國酒莊莊主的角度來說，將馬球及餐酒連繫在一起是一個十分新穎的概念，即使馬球球員輩出及以釀酒而為人熟悉的阿根廷一直以來也只視餐酒為一種享受，但中國已開始將兩者合併並推出市場。」

Polo and wine are like friends. Although they have totally different personalities, they share something in common. Few people realize the dedication it takes to play polo, let alone the hours of hard work it takes to keep pedigree polo ponies in shape. Grooms work tirelessly to maintain high standards, like winemakers who do their best on grape growing. Polo is not just a sport, and wine is not just a beverage; they are both about lifestyle.

馬球與紅酒看似風馬牛不相及，但背後營運的馬伕們及釀酒師們也同樣付出了最大的努力以維持馬匹和葡萄的品質。總括來說，馬球和餐酒一樣不只是一種運動和餐飲，而是真正的生活享受，一種生活態度。