Grassroots league enriching the lives of locals in Zhejiang province

On a balmy summer night in Hejiashantou village, Zhuji, East China's Zhejiang province, a basketball venue is abuzz with local hoops fans eagerly awaiting the action to tip off.

Hundreds of spectators — from young parents cradling infants to spirited pensioners in their 90s — cheered on the players from the sidelines as a blend of local dialect and Mandarin reverberated around the venue.

The vibrant atmosphere would be befitting of the CBA Finals, but this was not a professional match. Rather, it was the thrilling final stage of the inaugural Harmonious Countryside Basketball League in Zhuji.

An intense battle unfolded between teams from the towns of Fengqiao and Yaojiang, with Fengqiao emerging victorious on a 75-73 scoreline.

The players come from diverse backgrounds, as Shou Kejiong, the 34-year-old captain of Yaojiang, explained.

"Our team members include a student, teacher and doctor, and I work in e-commerce. We train together every week, but due to our different locations, not everyone can always be in attendance," Shou said.

"However, once there is an important basketball game, everyone rushes back to their respective villages in Zhuji to participate. Basketball is a kind of social glue for the community," he added.

On June 7, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with the General Administration of Sport of China, jointly issued a notice to organize the National Harmonious Countryside Basketball Tournament (informally known as the Village BA), aiming to highlight the exemplary spirit of farmers in the new era and showcase the rural charm of local areas.

As a renowned hotbed of hoops, Zhuji took the lead in establishing and promoting the Harmonious Countryside league, with the inaugural season tipping off in April this year.

Huang Shenghua, head of Zhuji Basketball Association, said the league connects the previously scattered Village BA, both geographically and in terms of scheduling, to ultimately result in a more exciting and more meaningful rural basketball season.

A total of 273 teams, comprising nearly 4,000 members, participate in the competition, which features around 680 matches.

The first stage of the competition was completed on May 31, with 13 regional winners progressing to the second stage. The final took place on Sunday in Zhuji.

The competition has also earned the backing of the Chinese Basketball Association, with CBA chairman Yao Ming recording a video message to extend his congratulations to participants.

Zhuji has long been a basketball stronghold, with its hoops heritage extending back through the decades. "In the 1950s, the peasant basketball team from Zhuji won the Zhejiang provincial championship," Huang noted.

In 2011, the headquarters of Guinness World Records in Shanghai awarded the Education and Sport Bureau of Zhuji a Guinness World Records Certificate for "the most standard basketball courts in a county-level city — 2,232".

In December 2000, Zhuji was designated as one of the first eight so-called "National Basketball Cities" by the General Administration of Sport of China.

Furthermore, Zhuji is the only county-level city in the history of the CBA to have hosted both the league's All-Star Weekend and a complete season of CBA matches in the same campaign, Huang said, referring to the city's time as a host of games inside a bio-secure bubble during the pandemic.

For local people, the Village BA is more than just a competition — it's a festival-like celebration for hoops enthusiasts.

"Farmers, students, doctors, e-commerce professionals… the participation in this event is diverse, with people from a wide range of backgrounds," Huang said, adding that this year's competition has extended to villages, schools and companies, and attracted fans from nearby cities such as Hangzhou and Jinhua to watch the action.

Common Prosperity

In keeping with the "harmonious countryside" theme, the prizes up for grabs showcase the area's rural charms.

At the opening match at Hejiashantou village in Diankou town, the prizes in the slam dunk contest included Baita Lake's famous white geese and Ruanshi's specialty roasted snacks.

The first-place prize in Anhua town was an impressive 1,000-kilogram yellow ox. Members of the champion team from Kuangting village opted to use the ox to make a local delicacy called niutaotang.

The hearty soup was shared with the villagers and neighboring charitable kitchens. It has become something of a tradition among the championship-winning teams to donate their prizes and winnings to charities, such as local food banks or schools for children of migrant workers.

Zhuji has also taken innovative steps to promote family basketball events. Since 2020, the Zhuji Basketball Association has staged the Zhuji Happy Family 3x3 Basketball Tournament. More than 500 families have participated in the competition to date.

"The purpose of this tournament is to allow parents and children to bond through basketball. This can steer kids onto a healthy path of growth and development while also fostering a harmonious and fulfilling family environment," Huang said.

In the first half of this year, the Zhuji Basketball Association established the Happy Family Club, producing videos to promote the competition and further extend the reach of hoops in the community beyond the Village BA.

The Village BA games have also contributed to grassroots governance in rural areas. Luo Gentu, the Party secretary of Fengyuan, explained that the village boasts three well-lit basketball courts, which are frequented by local players and provide a recreational space for young people.

"There is a saying in the village that having an additional basketball court means having one less gambling den," said Luo. "With more people participating in basketball, there is no market for gambling."

The Village BA has also brought economic vitality to the area. During game nights, restaurants have been known to run out of stock due to the high demand.

Chen Yulan, the deputy mayor of Anhua town, said the scheduling of evening matches was strategic in order to promote the development of the "nighttime economy".

With the support of the Village BA, the nightly market in Anhua has seen an average daily footfall of nearly 30,000 people. Anhua's per-household annual income exceeds 350,000 yuan (around $50,000), and the games have generated employment opportunities for nearly 2,000 people.

"The effect of common prosperity is becoming evident," said Chen Chuming, director of the Education and Sport Bureau of Zhuji.

"It can be said that in Zhuji, playing basketball is like a key that unlocks community integration."