The upsurge of local basketball depends only on "unfashionable"?, Zhuji "Village BA" concludes! The 3-month competition ends in Zhuji | BA | Local Area

From competitive sports to national sports, Zhuji "Village BA" has achieved the best interpretation of basketball.

On the evening of June 18, 2023, the first Huamei Rural Basketball League Finals of Zhuji City were held at the Jiyang Sports Center. The Taozhu Street Chengshan Community Team defeated the Datang Street Hangjin Qicun Team 72-60 to win the championship.

After hosting the CBA league tournament system for three consecutive seasons, Zhuji People's own "Village BA" began. Over the past three months, nearly 4000 people from 281 teams in 23 towns and streets have signed up. This summer, there were 681 "Village BA" matches in Zhuji, which were very popular.

Why can rural basketball stir up such a big craze? What has "Village BA" brought to rural areas in Zhejiang?

Chaozhou journalists stayed in Zhuji from the beginning to the end of the final and carefully tasted the taste of unfashionable "village BA".

Everyone participates, "unfashionable" changes the trend

"Are you coming to the scene?"

"Get up!"

During the "Village BA" competition in Zhuji, the reporter received numerous invitations to watch the competition.

Zhuji's "Village BA" kicks off at the open-air court

With only half an hour left until the start of the competition, the road, one or two kilometers away from the arena, began to become congested. A "Village BA" fan riding a small electric donkey to the field to watch football enthusiastically shouted, "Park your car outside and walk in faster!"

Zhuji people love and understand basketball, and have long had a great reputation in the industry.

On the day of the start of this year's "Village BA" competition, even the President of the Chinese Basketball Association, Yao Ming, posted a congratulatory video. Yao Ming said to the people of Zhuji, "Go for it!"

Basketball has become a popular national sport in Zhuji and is highly sought after. "This year's' Village BA ', every village participated, giving more basketball enthusiasts the opportunity to play a basketball game and experience the ultimate charm of basketball firsthand," said Huang Shenghua, Chairman of the Zhuji Basketball Association.

Wearing a team uniform with the name of his hometown and participating in the competition to win honors has always been the dream of Zhou Wenbin, a player of the Bihu Village team in Shanxiahu Town, Zhuji City. "The audience is all from the same hometown, so the sense of pride is naturally different!" He told reporters that 70% of the team members are engaged in the pearl business, and for training and competition, "both buying and selling can be put on hold for now."

According to the rules, "Village BA" cannot invite foreign aid and must be a villager with their hometown or household registration in this village in order to participate. The players of various teams in Zhuji are mostly villagers aged 22 to 40, who work and do business during the day. In the evening, when they change their jerseys and put on their shoes, they start playing games on the field.

Hurry up and get rid of it, open the gap, and make another precise pass. "The ball is in!" The whole game cheered and applauded. Whether it's passionate confrontations on the field or waving flags and shouting off the field, they are indescribable shocks.

Live cheerleading team

Every time there is a competition, entrepreneurs in Zhaojia Town, Zhuji City pay out of their own pockets and pack a 55 seat bus, carrying a full load of villagers to cheer for the village team. "I can only drive there by myself, and I can't even grab a seat if I want to hitchhike," said Yu Yan, the Party Secretary of Zhaojia Town, with a smile.

According to statistics, from 2017 to 2022, basketball associations at all levels in the province held and co hosted over 2000 various competitions, with over 2 million participants and 10 million spectators, driving a basketball population of 2.2 million. "Among them, almost half of the participants are from the 'Village BA'," said Wang Zhigang, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the Zhejiang Basketball Association.

Villagers become football stars, villagers cheer together The BA with the surname "village" is the most attractive element of this competition

Respect the rules, "unfashionable" embellish the local style

Entering the home of Yang Ke, a villager from Xinjiangxia Village in Zhaojia Town, Zhuji City, one can see a tall basketball stand standing in the courtyard. "For young people in the village, basketball is the most important way of leisure and entertainment," he said.

As early as 2011, Zhuji was recognized by Shanghai Guinness as the county-level city with the most standard basketball courts in the country, with 2232 standard basketball courts. In Zhuji, "Village BA" is not only a sports event loved by villagers, but also a gathering of the strength of the entire village.

"For the honor of the village, it's a top priority to come back even if you're busy." Yang Ke, who usually runs a factory in Shaoxing city, would drive back to the village to help with competitions. This year, at the age of 32, he is the 23rd member of the Xinjiangxia Village team. "As I get older, I am mainly responsible for logistics." He smiled and told reporters that if there is a football game in the village, young people from any family will not participate, and the elderly in the family will be criticized for being "immature".

Live cheerleading team

On the field where hormones soar, Zhuji pays special attention to two words: rules.

"Whoever fights on the court must be banned, and even their qualification to watch the game will be cancelled," said Huang Shenghua. This year, Zhuji "Village BA" has further refined such regulations. Both players and spectators who do not respect the referee or engage in fights will be blacklisted and exposed on the court. "This shock is quite impressive." In Huang Shenghua's view, the villagers gradually have a red line in their hearts. The rules of the stadium should not be easily touched. He Jianping, the Secretary of the Party Branch of Guangshan Village in Shanxiahu Town, also told the villagers, "Even if there is anger, winning with a goal will bring the truth to the game."

Under the rigid regulations, the rural atmosphere has become more harmonious, and some tense relationships have also been eased due to basketball.

The smooth progress of the Zhuji Power Grid ultra-high voltage construction project is also closely related to a basketball friendly match between State Grid Zhuji Power Supply Company and Daolin Mountain Village. In the early preparation process, the project encountered difficulties - according to the plan, the construction of the substation required the relocation of multiple graves on the land, which was a big deal for the villagers and many refused. "Originally, the sword was in a state of tension," sighed Yu Xiaochao, a former witness. However, after a game, everyone became brothers, and "when there are difficulties, it's just a matter of one sentence.". The problem has been solved, and this major project is progressing smoothly. From then on, the basketball friendly match between the two sides became a fixed "competition".

In Zhuji, "one more court, one less mahjong table; more famous players, less arguments" has become a daily routine. As the full name of "Village BA" - "Hemei Rural Basketball League", basketball promotes "Hemei", and sports have become a new lubricant for grassroots governance in Zhuji rural areas.

Fire is out of the field, "unfashionable" innovation road

"Our province has a long history of rural basketball matches. In 1956, Zhejiang held the Farmers' Basketball Championship." Wang Zhigang told reporters that every year, authentic rural basketball matches are held in Zhuji, Deqing, Jiashan and other places, and the scene is no less than the recently popular Guizhou "Village BA" on the internet.

"Compared to when I was young, 'Village BA' is more professional and lively." He Jianping sighed, feeling the atmosphere inside and outside the competition, coming from more and more young faces. In recent years, with the help of live streaming, the traditional characteristic industry of pearls in Zhuji has been selling well. The wholesale market of pearls in Shanxiahu is filled with exquisite makeup anchors, and more and more young people are choosing to work at their doorstep.

Zhuji "Village BA" Competition Site

"Village BA" is not only a basketball game, but also a window. "Only when there is popularity can people watch the game." Wang Zhigang said that the popularity of "Village BA" has also allowed more people to enter the countryside, further promoting rural economic and social development.

The popularity of Zhuji's "Village BA" this year has increased the popularity of the night market at Yuelang Xintiandi Square in Anhua Town. Chen Yulan, the deputy mayor of Anhua Town, calculated for the reporter that during the 8-day "Village BA" competition, the Anhua Night Market had an average daily passenger flow of nearly 30000 people, indicating that "business is much better than usual.".

"The continuous development of basketball in Zhuji has activated village management, awakened dormant resources, and reshaped rural functions." Shen Zhijiang, Secretary of the Zhuji Municipal Party Committee, said, "This is a living aspect of the 'material wealth+spiritual wealth' of the villagers in Zhuji, and a vivid picture of the 'millions of projects' to create thousands of beautiful villages."

"Village BA" brings both popularity and economic vitality. Rural sports are popular, not only for fun, but also for the way.

In the name of sports, let culture play, promote economic development, and help rural revitalization. The popularity of "Village BA" provides an important idea for rural revitalization: to fully embody the flavor of the village, but not to blindly follow the local culture and resource characteristics, fully leverage the advantages of localization in rural development, and work hard for a long time, which is the key to transforming from "internet celebrity" to "long-term celebrity".

Both the previously popular "Zibo Barbecue" and the current popular "Rongjiang Village Supermarket" have achieved their popularity through the creation of unique local IP symbols. The "Village+" type of IP connects the villagers' longing for a better life and showcases the direction of rural revitalization.