Prizes ‘cow, goats and pigs’: China’s farmer version of NBA rivals professional games with carnival atmosphere
- There are no superstar players, marketing or advertising, yet a rural Chinese basketball competition draws tens of thousands to its matches
- Because of the popularity of the games, people have to stand outside the seating area, even climbing onto surrounding hills and rooftops to watch
There are no big screens, superstars, professional marketing or advertising and yet an outdoor basketball court in rural China has attracted tens of thousands to its matches where the atmosphere rivals America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) games.
The annual basketball event, dubbed by mainland Chinese internet users as Cun BA – Cun meaning village in Mandarin, is held in Taipan Village in Taijiang county in southern China’s Guizhou province.
The event has been held for decades at the village where the basketball competition is part of a traditional Miao ethnic harvest festival during the lunar calendar month of June.
The matches are organised locally by villagers, without any involvement from authorities, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
From July 30 to August 2 this year, 16 male teams from across Guizhou province took part in the competition named Guizhou Beautiful Village Basketball League. The players are all amateur, most of them farmers, with only the referees having professional experience. The rules require the players to be at least 22 years old and permanent rural residents in the province.
More than 10,000 people watch the games every evening, which is half of the court’s capacity due to Covid-19 restrictions. The event is also live-streamed on Douyin, with millions watching it online, CCTV reported.
“I’ve brought a stool to stand on to watch the match,” one of the spectators Yang Tianran told CCTV. “I won’t leave my place; otherwise, my spot will be taken by others immediately.”
