WE all hear about the CBA and the NBA, and now here comes the “Village BA.”

The Guizhou Province “Gorgeous Countryside” Basketball League that opened in June in villages across Guizhou has recently gone viral. Due to its immense popularity and energetic atmosphere, netizens gave the league a catchy name — “Village BA.”

“The rural basketball match in Guizhou is on! What a great atmosphere,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian tweeted in late July.

The league’s Qiandongnan regional game began catching Chinese netizens’ attention in late July. There were 16 teams competing in the regional game. The semi-finals and final were held in Taipan Township, Taijiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, from day to night July 30-Aug. 2. Played by villagers and without a huge star to draw attention, the games were livestreamed by national, provincial and local WeChat Channels, apps and Douyin, attracting 50 million online viewers over the four days.

On Aug. 2 night, the Liping County team won the Qiandongnan regional final, while the runner-up went to Kaili City. The winning teams were awarded an ox (champion), two goats (runner-up) and three mini pigs (second runner-up), respectively.

What made the league eye-catching was not only the villagers’ passion for sports, but also the ethnic performances at the opening and halftime shows. The onsite sports host also reported the matches by switching between Putonghua and the Guizhou and Miao ethnic dialects. Among tens of thousands of cheerful spectators, some brought meals to the scene to keep their seats, while those without access to permanent seating brought their own assortment of chairs to watch for hours and hours in relative comfort.

With about 20,000 residents, Taipan Township is an ethnic minority town where the Miao people live together. The local area not only has a strong ethnic culture and well-preserved folk customs, but also has a good sports atmosphere. Domestic media reported that Taipan residents celebrate the harvest in July every year by holding bird fights, bullfights and basketball matches because the team game is cheap, easy and healthy.

“We play basketball every evening. We don’t care who wins; we care about good health. Basketball has been an integral part of our lives,” said Yang Hucheng, a villager in Taipan.

Wang Shenglong, captain of the Taijiang team, started to learn basketball from his father in middle school, and he has been playing basketball for 16 years, CGTN reported. “We used to play on mud, using self-made basketball stands. But with the development of rural areas, our village now has a standard basketball court. Everyone on this court plays with great energy and effort, and we believe our team will do better next time,” Wang was quoted as saying.

This is the second year that Guizhou has hosted the “Gorgeous Countryside” basketball league. Since the launch of the “Village BA,” Taipan Township has become a hub for not only local villagers, but also for many who drove all the way from Guiyang, the provincial capital more than 200 kilometers away, to experience the exciting gaming atmosphere.

The “Village BA” is acclaimed by domestic media as strengthening the unity of people from different villages and ethnic groups, as well as reflecting Guizhou’s achievement in rural revitalization. During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), every township or administrative village in Guizhou has had a standard basketball court and two table-tennis tables built, according to Guizhou Daily. This year, the newly-built 43-kilometer-long running track in Tongren City in northeast Guizhou covers more than 20 villages and is equipped with smart facilities located every five kilometers to record runners’ results or offer AEDs, bathing and storage services. (Cao Zhen)