Frequent occurrence of "phenomenon level" sports events in rural China | Rural | China
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, June 22 (Xinhua) - Frequent occurrence of "phenomenon level" sports events in rural China
Xinhua News Agency reporters Xu Shihao, Li Li, Dong Yixing, and Luo Yu
The Village BA has opened again!
Since becoming popular for a year, the popularity of this rural basketball tournament originating from Taijiang County, Guizhou Province has not diminished, but rather has shown a strong trend of "surrounding the city from the countryside.". In the opening match on the 20th, the Guizhou Qiandongnan Prefectural Farmers' Basketball Team faced off against the Gansu Linxia Prefectural Farmers' Basketball Team, who had just won the first Farmers' Basketball Invitational in the nine provinces of the Yellow River Basin. The game attracted about 30000 live spectators and over ten million online viewers, marking the official launch of the "Village BA" national competition.
Coincidentally, the "Village Super League" that opened on May 13th has also become a "phenomenon level" sports event. According to statistics from the government of Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province, the content related to "village supermarkets" has been viewed more than 6 billion times on the entire platform; In the first four weekends since the start of the game, the venue attracted more than 420000 people, with the hottest "Super Saturday" every week, with an average audience of over 50000 people - a number comparable to world-class football matches.
The "Two Rivers Competition" in Guizhou has not only become a "sister chapter" of mass sports and rural sports, but also been praised as a "window to observe Chinese path to modernization". In fact, the frequent occurrence of "phenomenon level" sports events in rural China is not accidental, and the two village competitions in Guizhou are by no means isolated. Many fresh samples have also emerged in other regions at the same time.
During the Spring Festival, Babao Village, Pei County, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, has held the "Village Boundary Cup" farmer football tournament for several consecutive years. Every day, villagers from ten miles and eight townships come to watch the game. The "Village Boundary Cup" has become a "New Year's custom", and the scene is bustling and has also become popular online; The "Xini River Cup" football tournament in the Xini River region of Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia has sparked heated discussions in recent years. This "World Cup for Herders" has become an annual carnival and carnival on the grasslands. Every time the tournament opens, herdsmen from all over the country will come to watch the game dressed in costumes; In Inner Mongolia, Angsu Town, Etuoqueqian Banner, Ordos City, is famous for its "volleyball fever". This small town with a permanent population of less than 8000 has over 3500 people who love playing volleyball. The local area holds an average of over 400 matches every year, creating a grand scene of "volleyball matches every day".
Mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasses, and sands, each region has its own unique geographical advantages and resource endowments, which are worth exploring and utilizing in depth. In addition to traditional sports, many regions have opened up their thinking and developed unique rural sports culture according to local conditions.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, the Miluo River Folk Dragon Boat Race in Hunan Province once again swept the screen. On the 21st, 10 folk teams competed using traditional dragon boats. It is reported that on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, each village will intensify preparations, and villagers who work or study in other places will also return to their hometowns to participate in the competition. If they can achieve good results, the village will also hold a grand celebration ceremony. The level of attention and desire for victory of the villagers is comparable to the Olympic Games. In addition to Hunan, there are also various forms of rural dragon boat competitions in Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Sichuan and other places, which are widely popular.
In Tianxin Village, Wanning City, Hainan Province, surfing has become popular. With its irreplaceable geographical advantages, in just a few years, Tianxin Village has developed from a place that cannot be reached by express delivery to a thriving tourism new village with various formats such as surfing clubs, homestays, and catering; In Guling Town, Mashan County, Guangxi, the continuous rocky mountains once hindered the development of villagers, but also changed the local mindset and developed into a climbing characteristic sports town. Nowadays, in addition to hosting competitions and developing tourism, Mashan has also cultivated a group of excellent local rock climbers, and the villagers have changed from being trapped in the mountains to relying on the mountains to eat.
The frequent occurrence of phenomenon level sports events in rural China is an inevitable trend based on the victory in poverty alleviation. Many interviewees told reporters that ultimately it is because "life has improved and spiritual needs have increased.". In addition, this "joy" has gradually developed into a "way": many rural sports events have become new engines for promoting national fitness, cultivating rural civilization, developing cultural and sports industries, promoting grassroots governance, and supporting rural revitalization in the local area.
At the same time, we are delighted to see the pure joy of villagers from all over participating in sports activities. The frequent appearance of "phenomenal" sports events in China's rural areas once again reflects that Chinese path to modernization is the modernization of 1.4 billion people and the modernization of material civilization and spiritual civilization. A single spark can start a prairie fire. In the process of rural revitalization strategy, we look forward to more "phenomenon level" sports events appearing, bringing more happiness, sense of achievement, and satisfaction to the people.