Even before the jump ball, the basketball game, held at 10:30 p.m. on August 2 in a small village in southwest China was already in the spotlight, with the cameras of live-streamers all lined up and rolling courtside.

It was the final match between teams from the counties of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province. There were no superstar players, no advertising, and no tickets. The basketball court in Taipan Village, where the event was hosted, is open to all. Temporary lights were put up to illuminate the grounds for the nighttime battle.

The stands were packed with "over 10,000 people," according to the China Central Television journalist reporting live from the scene. "If it hadn't been for pandemic prevention and control measures, there would've been over 20,000 people here."

Those who couldn't get a seat either stood on ladders they'd brought from home, strategically placing them behind the stands; or climbed onto the surrounding rooftops.

The VBA 

Crazy as it may sound, it's a common scene during this season, when locals celebrate the Chixin Festival for a good harvest. Since the 1960s, local farmers have been organizing the basketball competition as part of the celebratory activities, given basketball is their most favorite sport.

"Nowadays, young people working outside of the villages will flock back for the basketball competition," said Zhang Shoushuang, Secretary of the Taipan Village Branch of the Communist Party of China. "It is a major event for villagers and locals, who come here from all over the area to cheer on their teams—as long as they have the time to do so, of course."

Netizens nationwide caught a glimpse of the basketball buzz on China's most popular short video platforms like Douyin (China's TikTok) this year. Many were in awe to see one small village team attract so many spectators. "If I hadn't known this was taking place in a village, I would have thought it was an NBA game," one netizen wrote in a comment. The game was affectionately dubbed the "Village Basketball Association" or the "VBA."

All players must be local farmers over the age of 22—and all must be amateurs. "Back in the day, we used to play on a dirt court and made the baskets and basketballs ourselves," Wang Shenglong, leader of the Taijiang County team. He first started playing basketball in middle school as a teen. "Many players on our team have been close friends for years."

Tang Bicheng, Wang's teammate, has been playing for the Taijiang County team for more than a decade. He is a professional taekwondo coach and plays basketball in his free time. "Before every game season, locals make posters featuring more information, encouraging more village teams to join," Tang said. "The referees are also local farmers."

The launch of the Gorgeous Countryside basketball tournament in Guizhou in 2021, which aims to promote development in rural China in culture, tourism and sports, has lent the game more influence. The township became a hub for basketball enthusiasts not only from nearby, but also from further away, who drive here for the unique games.

The competition schedule is an intense one. This year, 16 teams from different counties of the prefecture competed, which were further divided into four groups. The team winning first place in their group then played a cross-qualifying game. The Taipan basketball court hosted 27 games in four days from July 30 to August 2, with players running up and down the court at all times of the day and night.

"There was a game at 4 a.m. on July 31," a villager from neighboring village of Taipan, surnamed Pan, told Beijing Review. "It reminded me of that famous sentence from NBA star Kobe Bryant: Have you ever seen the scene of Los Angeles at 4 a.m.? I would say all the players and watchers of that game have seen Taipan Village at 4 a.m."

Pan watched the whole match at Taipan, which is about a one-hour drive from his home village. He specifically created an account on Douyin to share the short videos he'd shot over the 10 days and gained about 8,000 followers.

Cen Jianglong, a Taipan local, has been a recreational basketball player for 20 years and is the tournament's co-organizer. He attributed the competition's popularity to its real proximity to local people. "It truly connects neighborhoods in a way no other events do," he said. "Plus, short video platforms and upgraded facilities have made the number of spectators and participating areas rise year by year."

Basketball business 

Local ethnic culture and rural characteristics reflected in the competition are hailed by netizens. The prizes are all agricultural products—a 650-kg cow for the winner, a pair of goats for the runner-up and two piglets for the team in third place. The game's live commentator delivered his play-by-play review of the game in standard Chinese, Guizhou dialect, and the Hmong language, a branch of the Chinese Miao language. And then there was the halftime show starring local ethnic dances.

"It's great fun," Jing Haoyang, a player from Shunde District of Foshan City, Guangdong Province. The Shunde team was invited to play against the Taijiang County team on August 9. "It's the most special game I've ever played. There was no big digital screen and the court was very basic. But there were so many people and the atmosphere just exceeded my wildest expectations."

The excitement and passion on display come as no surprise to former professional basketball player Yao Ming, Chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association. "As a teenager, I took part in a similar rural basketball competition in southeast China," Yao said. "This type of game has been developing over decades, showing basketball is a sport with extensive participation."

Figures from the Guizhou Provincial Government show that almost every township in the province now has a basketball court and since April, the province has organized more than 4,200 basketball games on multiple levels and across different areas.

Zhang revealed that many locals have now uncovered the game's business potential. He revealed that on game days, about 100 food vendors would line up along the road to the basketball court, selling snacks and beverages. Some shop owners told Zhang that they can earn over 5,000 yuan ($735) a day during game season, 10 times their revenue on regular days.

Tourists swarming in to watch the games have also made locals consider exploring more ways to develop basketball tourism, for example by opening their own bed and breakfast.

"It would be great to see more people come here and enjoy a game of basketball with us," Zhang added. After all, participation is more important than winning the competition. As the great Michael Jordan once said, "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

(Print Edition Title: Slam Dunk)         

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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