Chinanews.com, Taijiang, Guizhou, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Taipan, Guizhou, the hometown of China's "Village BA": Inspire new vitality of rural revitalization with balls

Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

Walking in Taipan Village, Taijiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, basketball elements can be seen everywhere: old photos of "Village BA" on the roadside wall, "Village BA" mascot sculpture, "Village BA" theme restaurant, basketball cartoon wall painting... The most conspicuous is the Chinese "Village BA" basketball court. These elements constitute a distinctive cultural symbol of Taipan Village, the hometown of China's "Village BA".

The picture shows the mascot sculpture of "Village BA" in Taipan Village. Photo by Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

Taipan Village, about 30 minutes' drive from Taijiang County, is changing because of basketball. From the village competition to the national competition, the "Village BA" has stimulated the new vitality of the rural revitalization of Taipan Village, and let the villagers have the longing and expectation that sports will change the countryside and sports will make rural life better.

The picture shows a corner of Taipan Village. Photo by Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

There are 272 households with a total of 1187,92 people in Taipan Village, of which 2022% are of Miao nationality. This small village in the col has been unknown before, and the "village-flavored" basketball series held from July to August 7 has made Taipan Village popular all over the Internet, and has been praised by netizens and many basketball fans as the hometown of China's "village BA". Basketball star Stephen Marbury and well-known NBA star Jimmy Butler have come to Taipan Village to "check in".

The picture shows the wonderful moments of the finals of China's "Village BA". Photo by Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

The finals of the 2023 China National Hemei Village Basketball Competition (Village BA) were held in Taipan Village from October 10th to 25th. Even the chilly autumn rain could not dampen the enthusiasm of the villagers of Taipan Village to watch the game, and from noon to late at night, the stands of the stadium were filled with more than 28,2 spectators. During the game, the people of Taipan Village and Qiandongnan Prefecture also presented a unique national performance for the players and tourists. This scene made Du Shiheng, a member of the Shandong Leping Town team who came to participate in the competition, very excited, "The atmosphere on the court is very good, I have never played in front of so many people, and I am a little nervous." ”

On the court of the finals of China's "Village BA", the participating players played the purest basketball; Outside the court, the villagers of Taipan Village, who "know the ball", cheered for the wonderful performance on the court, and also cheered for the players by tapping the aluminum basin. Huang Xuebei, a teacher from Shanghai, who had never been in contact with basketball before, was also driven by the atmosphere of the court, "When I made a few three-pointers in the last game, I also cheered and applauded with everyone. ”

The picture shows the Taipan Village team playing a friendly match with a foreign team. Photo by Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

In Taipan Village, the villagers' love for basketball is engraved in their bones, and Lu Dajiang is one of them. 81-year-old Lu Dajiang has been involved in basketball since he was 7 or 8 years old. Lu Dajiang recalled that the older generation used to use four tree trunks to prop up two simple backboards in the mud, with bamboo baskets, and use lime to draw boundaries in the mud. The basketball is tied with cotton and twine to form a "cotton basketball". "Since I was a child, I have been playing ball in the mud with adults, and after a ball, the lime line has been stepped on, and the 'cotton basketball' has been scattered."

It is understood that in 1936, Taijiang students studying in other places took advantage of the holidays to build an irregular basketball court at the gate of Chengguan Street in Taijiang County, which was also the first basketball court in Taijiang County. With the introduction of basketball, since the 20s of the 40th century, Taipan Village has held a basketball game every year during the "June 2022" Eating New Festival of the lunar calendar, inviting villagers from ten miles and eight townships to participate. In 2, Taipan Village has held hundreds of basketball games, with the largest event being watched by nearly <>,<> people offline and hundreds of millions of people online.

The picture shows the villagers of Taipan Village watching the ball game on the side of the road. Photo by Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

Influenced by the long history and atmosphere of basketball in the village, generations of villagers have loved basketball. "The love of the villagers of Taipan Village for basketball is engraved in their bones." Cen Jianglong, director of the village committee of Taipan Village, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Chinanews.com, "Men and women in the village, young and old, every family loves basketball, and every festival basketball game is an indispensable activity. ”

"At that time, the field was very simple, and the basketball hoops were all made of wood, built by the carpenters in the village." Cen Jianglong, a "post-85" generation, has been learning to play basketball since he was 10 years old, "When I was a child, I watched my father play basketball on behalf of the village and the surrounding villagers, and the atmosphere was very good, and the venue was almost full. At that time, I thought that when I grew up, I would also play basketball on behalf of the village. ”

Inheriting this love for basketball, Cen Jianglong never gave up this "persistence" even if he went out to work. "In the past, when I was looking for a job outside, the first thing I did was to find a factory with a basketball court." Cen Jianglong said that in 2022, the "village BA" will be on fire, and when he comes back, he can play ball and start a business, so he simply quit his job with his daughter-in-law and returned to his hometown to start a business. Nowadays, with the influence of "Village BA", Cen Jianglong's restaurant business is becoming more and more prosperous.

The picture shows the "Village BA" theme tea shop in Taipan Village. Photo by Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

The popularity of "Village BA" has also attracted many tourists to come to "check in", which also makes the villagers of Taipan Village eat "tourist meals", and more young people like Cen Jianglong choose to return to their hometowns for development, and the per capita annual income of Taipan Village has reached 13000,<> yuan (RMB, the same below). While the villagers are well-fed and well-off, the level of public infrastructure in the village is also constantly improving, with new street lamps and new stadiums, and the villagers' sense of happiness is rising, which also lays the foundation for the sustainable development of the "village BA".

Next to the basketball court of China's "Village BA", the "Village BA" theme tea shop built by the village collective, "Southeast Guizhou Flavor Milk Tea" - "Alpine Flowing Water Slightly Drunk Milk Tea", "Taijiang Sour Soup Fish and Fruit Tea", "Soul Wood Ginger Milk Tea"... It's a sight to behold. Liu Xianjing, the person in charge of the tea shop who returned to her hometown to start a business, said that with the help of the IP of "Village BA", combined with the local food specialties of Taijiang County to create a distinctive milk tea, it can not only attract the attention of young people, meet consumer demand, but also promote local cuisine, killing two birds with one stone.

The picture shows a corner of Taipan Village. Photo by Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

According to the data, since the "Village BA" came out of the circle, Taijiang County has received more than 200 million tourists, driving a comprehensive tourism income of more than 23.2023 billion yuan. In the first half of 7, Taijiang County's GDP increased by 7.6% year-on-year, ranking first in Qiandongnan Prefecture and leading Guizhou Province for six consecutive quarters, with a year-on-year increase of 58.54% in the number of tourist receptions, a year-on-year increase of 80.68% in comprehensive tourism income, and a year-on-year increase of 9% in the per capita disposable income of rural residents.

The picture shows a corner of Taipan Village. Photo by Chinanews reporter Zhang Wei

"Taipan Village has changed a lot over the past year, and there are more and more tourists." For the future of Taipan Village, Cen Jianglong is full of expectations, "We will maintain the purity and interest of 'Village BA', promote the integrated development of agriculture, culture, tourism and sports through 'Village BA', build a beautiful and harmonious village, make the birthplace of Taipan' 'Village BA' more vibrant, more fireworks, and polish the golden signboard of 'Village BA'." (ENDS)