Bringing together the hearts of 18 teams from 12 ethnic groups, "Village BA"
The small stadium carries great dreams, with players striving to reach the final of the sports competition, fans immersing themselves in the spiritual civilization dream of watching the game up close. More importantly, through the hosting of the event and the performance of the team, it showcases the resolute will of the new farmers to comprehensively promote the era dream of rural revitalization, and the Chinese dream of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through the unity and struggle of all ethnic groups.
The national "Village BA" Northwest Competition was held in Tuanjie Village, Jiqiang Town, Xiji County, Guyuan City, Ningxia, as if it were a village name.
On the evening of August 27th, the basketball park in Tuanjie Village, Jiqiang Town, Xiji County was unusually lively. Fans from all over the country and media reporters from all over the country came here early to watch the opening ceremony of the Northwest Village BA competition.
Li Xuezhi, Secretary of the Party Committee of Jiqiang Town, carried a red handbag filled with "Xiji Delicious Stuff" and presented it to the on-site spectators. On that day, Xiji County prepared 5000 local specialty snacks such as oil flavored and potatoes, allowing visitors from all directions to feel the warm hospitality of Xiji people. There are also many local and ethnic delicacies, and I hope friends from all over the country can come and try them. At the agricultural specialty product exhibition point outside the competition venue, the people of Jiqiang Town are eager to promote all the "delicious food" in Xiji to tourists from other places.
The warm-up program began, with over 300 people performing the song and dance "Xiji Waiting for You" together, with a grand momentum that instantly stirred up the atmosphere on site; Young students wear traditional costumes and forcefully beat their waist drums, dancing their youth. The performance of "Shepherd Boy Whip" by the Xiji County Cultural Troupe is an excellent representative work of traditional culture with rich ethnic characteristics. It once appeared in the 7th National Ethnic Games. When the clear and loud sound of the Shepherd Boy Whip rang out again, it won applause from the audience on site. Xiji, who was once invited by Yao Ming and attended the Spring Festival Gala, performed basketball exercises with over 100 children, evoking fond memories for basketball enthusiasts on site. "The yellow soil, wooden rebounds, and even tying an iron ring to a tree were the basketball courts of our time," said Zhao Weidong, a rural teacher born in the 1970s. "Nowadays, rural schools are all made of cement or plastic courts, and children's sports activities are also very diverse."
Xiji's "Spring Official Sending Blessings" is a representative project of national intangible cultural heritage. When a well-known local rock singer and Liu Pan Spring Official meet, they collide to create a unique artistic spark, which is refreshing. There are also traditional ethnic sports performances such as "Stepping on Feet" in Jingyuan County and representative intangible cultural heritage projects such as "Shehuo" in Longde County, all showcasing the profound historical and cultural heritage of the Liupanshan region to the fullest. The music of "Me and My Motherland" rang out, with hundreds of performers holding up a huge national flag covering nearly two stadiums. "Smiling Girl" Tie Jiaxin appeared and shook the national flag with thousands of spectators, singing in unison about the prosperity of our motherland, and a sense of national pride emerged. After the opening ceremony was announced by the attending leaders and guests, fireworks were in full bloom, shining brightly against the bright moon in the sky. Athletes, journalists, and the masses from nine provinces and regions including Xinjiang, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, and Ningxia gathered in Tuanjie Village to celebrate this rural grand event. The on-site audience and netizens saw the grand opening ceremony and jokingly called "Village BA" the "Village Olympics".
On August 26th, the representative team from Boxirek Town, Xinjiang arrived in Xiji first. Boxireke Town is located in the westernmost part of Kashgar, China, and is rich in sweet pomegranates with big seeds. It is over 3000 kilometers away from Xiji. All 12 players in the team are Uyghur people, including big growers and barbecue chefs. During an interview, Abdusalam said that the people of Siji are very enthusiastic and heard that they are here to participate in football matches, and they don't even charge for meals. Team leader Abdul Kayumu introduced that participating in this competition has given many players their first chance to leave Xinjiang. Coming to the beautiful Xiji feels like seeing family, and he warmly welcomes the people of Xiji to visit the beautiful Xinjiang and eat pomegranates in Bosirek.
The representative team of Wuchangshanzi Town, also from Xinjiang, belongs to Midong District of Urumqi City. Player Ma Zilong, with his superb football skills and delicate appearance, gained a large number of fans in the first game. Jiqiang Town small fan Ma Ziqian and several other small fans also asked Ma Zilong for his signature and took a group photo, dancing happily. Ma Zilong said that the basketball atmosphere in Xiji is very good. Although it is a rural basketball competition, it is welcomed by the public and media attention, making it feel like participating in a professional competition.
Sonanmudaoerji, the representative team of Qinghai Juji Township, is a Mongolian player from Delingha City, Haixi Prefecture. He is the party branch secretary of his village and has been awarded the title of "National Rural Youth Wealth Leader" by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League for returning to his hometown for entrepreneurship. Although the team failed to reach the final, everyone still had other gains. Sonanmu Daoerji said that coming to Xiji to participate in the competition, I feel the development momentum of unity among all ethnic groups, the sportsmanship of friendship first and competition second, and also see the tremendous changes in the pursuit of rural revitalization in the northwest of China. I welcome the people of Xiji to come to the beautiful Delingha.
The representative team of Caomatan Town, Jishishan County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province has gathered young basketball enthusiasts from multiple ethnic groups, including Han, Hui, Salar, Tu, Dongxiang, and Bao'an. The 23rd Ma Peng is also a well-known "grassroots" basketball star among the people of Xiji, and often competes and exchanges with teams such as Sanying and Xinglong in Guyuan City. The basketball atmosphere in Linxia Prefecture is very strong, and various levels and types of basketball competitions are held every year during holidays. In this match against the home team Xinglong Town, the players opened a banner before the game saying "greetings from the people of Jishishan County, Gansu Province to the people of Xiji County". Xiji County fans also generously applauded, cheering and cheering for the Gansu team, creating a heartwarming scene.
The Inner Mongolia Ulan Maodu Sumu team participated in a competition at Zhonghe Village Inspirational Basketball Club in Zhonghe Township, Yuanzhou District. They arrived in Guyuan from the grasslands of Keyouqian Banner in Xing'an League, more than 2000 kilometers away. Captain Jirimuta was very happy. "The team members are all children of herdsmen's families and enjoy playing basketball. Every year, the flag holds a basketball game for farmers and herdsmen, but horse racing, archery, and wrestling are their specialties. We welcome the people of Guyuan to visit the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia and experience the infinite scenery," said Jiri Mutu warmly.
Struggling and fiercely competing on the field, exchanging WeChat messages for friendship off the field, and building a circle of friends across the country among players in the just a few days of competition in the Northwest Division of the National "Village BA", promoting long-lasting communication and interaction among people of all ethnicities and regions. As Adili, the head coach of the representative team in Boxireke Town, Xinjiang, said, our hearts are united because of basketball. Regardless of region or ethnicity, we are all brothers.
