VBA: A Legend of China’s ecological civilization in rural area
No fancy stadium, only an outdoor basketball court in village. No superstars, only amateurs who use to work in normal villages. No cash prize money, only bags of rice, fish and living ducks and cows given for rewards. Unprofessional and low-end as it seems, the special grassroots basketball tournament in Southwest China's Guizhou Province has become phenomenal across China owing to its electric atmosphere since last year.
Given that the game was held by local villagers and most players came from villages, the game, termed after "NBA", was affectionately known as "VBA" -- Village Basketball Association games. How can such grass-root games become more attractive than professional games?
Hoops legend Yao Ming: not sure if I can get a seat
During this year's games, which was played out in Taipan village starting on March 27, a total of 30,000 people flocked from all over the country swarmed into the village, which has only 1,118 residents.
Based on statistics from multiple online booking platforms, demand for hotels, restaurants and markets in Taipan was 11 times higher than the week before the games. Over the weekend, tourist bookings at Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Minorities Autonomous Prefecture, where Taipan is located, were up over 140 percent compared with the same time last year. "Our hotels are over booked. On the day the match schedule was revealed, all the rooms were instantly snapped up," said Zhang Shouwu, who runs a hotel with about 30 rooms in Taipan.
The most coveted spaces in Taipan are courtside. Though tipped off after sunset, many spectators came courtside in the morning to secure seats. Wu Binxi and his family of four from Liping County arrived at the Taipan Village at around 10 o'clock in the morning. "Both of my children love playing basketball. We drove for three hours just to get a good spot," said Wu. For those who couldn’t get into the basketball court, they stood in benched, ladders and even nearby drainage ditches, and the roads to the court were completely jammed.
Hours before matches begin, oceans of spectators poured into the stands to enjoy performances by local dancers and various cultural activities. If you dare leave your spot for a minute, forget getting it back. Spectators thus go to great lengths to hang onto their vantage points. A vendor nearby surnamed Zhang said that ladders were sold out that day as those who could not grab a seat can stand on a ladder and watch the game. “Many people even wear adult diapers so they can sit for hours in the stands. If you go to use the bathroom, your spot will be taken by others," said Xie Lingchu, who runs a shop in the village. According to him, items like small portable chairs and portable chargers are also all hot commodities.
Actually, VBA not only attracted people from all over the country to cheer for the players, but 26 official accounts to broadcast the event simultaneously, with a cumulative audience of more than 100 million. Medias also descended on Taipan, with national broadcaster CCTV.com even providing a live feed. Though the torrential downpour forced the championship game to be rescheduled to Monday afternoon, there were more spectators for this game, although it was a weekday, compared with the 30,000-strong crowd seen during the past weekend when the popularity of the third-place game went viral. “The closest thing to the NBA in Asia is not the CBA, but the 'VBA.'" netizens said. The finals captured the imagination of netizens on Chinese social media, with the hashtags "Guizhou VBA finals" and "People in the stands at VBA are not photoshopped" viewed over 65 million and 14 million times respectively on social media.
Newly born VBA? Long history behind and bright future ahead
The popularity of "VBA" didn't come by chance. Basketball has a long history in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Minority Autonomous Prefecture. VBA is about as grassroots as sports get, with matches originating from the local Chi Xin Festival, a harvest celebration on June 6 of the lunar calendar, a tradition that dates back to 1936. As part of the festival, locals would organize pick-up games until the action gradually assumed a more formal tournament structure. "From 1936 to today, the village never suspends its annual basketball games. Without the ball, villagers use clothes to make one; no backboard, they will use two pillars and a plank, an iron ring to make one," Zhang Shoushuang, Party secretary of Taipan was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as saying in August last year.
Since 2016, the local government has invested in upgrading and building new standard basketball courts to support grassroots basketball development. In 2021, Guizhou province launched the "Gorgeous Countryside" campaign, which promotes development in rural China via culture, tourism and sports. A rural basketball league was also included in the campaign, and Taipan village was chosen as a regular host for matches. Last year, videos of the games in Taipan went viral on social media, leading netizens to dub the games the "Village Basketball Association". This year, the first edition of the "VBA" finals were staged in Taipan, now considered something of a shrine for grassroots Chinese hoops.
"It's not an easy job to organize such an event. All the efforts paid off, and the deafening sound of people's cheers is the best reward," said Liu Shangbo, a local sports official who has been stationed in Taipan for over a week.
For now, VBA is a set of mostly independent regional basketball tournaments. In the future, it has the potential to grow into a nationwide competition, working with the biggest platforms and brands, boosting the awareness and prospects of smaller towns and cities.
The phenomenon of VBA is a microcosm of China’s ecological civilization development in rural area. After millions of rural people were lifted out of poverty, projects for rural revitalization started. Besides more infrastructures were built in rural area, the cultural lives there were improved. 5G services in rural area are the same with those in cities, and more museums, recreation and sports events, art exhibitions are emerging in villages which attracts more tourists from cities. The rural revitalization shows the hope of China’s ecological civilization.
Down-to-earth VBA: rustic charm rooted in rural soil
Born in a primitive venue, located in a river valley surrounded by farm land at a remote village, the "basketball stadium" is in the open air. Aged between 22 and 40 years old, resided in those villages with household registration system, players are prevented from hiring outside help.When asked about their training, Luo Taotao, a physical education teacher in a primary school in Bijie, Guizhou, said that "We [Luo and his teammates] don't really have time to train. Everyone has things to be busy with. For example, some are looking for a job and some run breakfast stalls. So we just play at our own time," “Players in the VBA are far away from professional players. "But we are down to earth. And we try everything we can to win," Luo laughed. One player twined towels around his shoes when it suddenly rained during one game, so that he won't slip. Another player said that "we play not for money, for fame, but for our own hometown, as we represent our cities."
Ethnic and rural cultures are interwoven in VBA. Before the game, audiences knock iron pots and bowls to cheer up for players. Interestingly, many of the spectators seemed not to be fans of a particular team as they cheered every basket, regardless of team. As halftime show, dressing in local ethnic minority clothing, local art troupes performed traditional Miao Minority-style songs and dances. During the game, the live commentator switched to using Mandarin, Guizhou dialect, and the local Hmong language, to call the game. After Qiandongnan team taking the champion's cup on Monday, local agricultural products such as live sturgeons, ducks and fragrant rice were given as prizes. When posing for championship pictures, every player carried a bamboo pole on one shoulder, with two living ducks hanging on each side by their feet. At one moment, one duck escaped the string and began to wander around the playground, which all highlighted the local culture and equipped the game with "village characteristics."
Spirit in CunBA: pure love and true sportsmanship
The sudden popularity of the CunBA could be due to the ubiquitous social media and the users' tendency to explore something different from their surroundings. But what may remain lasting and grow even bigger is people's pursuit of spiritual sustenance and the grass-root sport is one of the top destinations that are easy to reach.
Yao Ming, chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, said in an interview in 2022 that "VBA" can become widely known because it is not simply a basketball game, but a grand event gathering all neighboring villagers around the basketball court to enjoy the fun. "I took part in a similar rural basketball game in Southeast China in my teen," said Yao. "This kind of game has been developed for decades, showing basketball is a sport with extensive participation." Yao also desires to attend the event if possible and experience the warm atmosphere there with villagers, hoping that the game would get better and help with the development of basketball in China.
"Basketball embodies the spirit of unity and has a strong cultural symbolic significance. It reflects the strong demand for sports and cultural life in rural areas and resonates with the people's desire for a better life," said Yang Dezhao, head of the Taijiang County government.
"Sports for all is the true face of any sports. The pure love for do-your-utmost performance, the most enthusiastic audience, are the best advertisement for promoting sports," said the anonymous Village BA player.
"What we see is just what basketball looked like originally. It is so pure and joyful," wrote one user on social media.
(This story was mostly written by Yin Yixin, and edited by Xue Ying)