Cultural "Whoops" in Hong Kong: Judges' Huts Get a Paint Job

Anky had plenty of time to look around the arena while she schooled Salinero in the rain last week.

Dutch dressage diva Anky van Grunsven sent home an email to her Dutch fans that says a lot.

As previously reported, Anky has been out in the pouring rain and scorching sun to school Salinero in the main arena. She has written home about the scary video screen, the misery of riding outside during a typhoon, and through it all, she makes it clear that she OWNS that arena. Salinero's hooves will know every inch of it by the time the grand prix begins on Wednesday.

So today, Anky would be the one who would notice that, now that the eventing dressage has ended, the grounds crews are at work in the arena, and they are doing something odd. They are painting the roofs of the judges' huts. (They are hardly huts, more like gazebos.)

So she tells the story: The roofs on the huts were all a handsome, equestrian-ish green. But in Chinese custom, a green roof on a house means that the woman of the house is guilty of adultery.

As we say in America, "Who'd have thunk it?"

Apparently, you just don't paint even a gazebo with a green roof. So out came the crews with paint cans.

The roofs are now gold.

I wonder what that means.

Salinero has two days to get used to the new color.