Viral village basketball tournament stirs nerves, excitement

A nervous Li Zhi could feel his heart beating hard as he prepared to play basketball in front of more than 10,000 spectators.

After the game started though, the sounds of cheers, roars and drums drowned out the pounding in his chest.

The competition began at 4 pm on Sunday. It was the first time 40-year-old Li participated in the "Village Basketball Association "competition, dubbed "Village BA", at Taipan village, Taijiang county in Guizhou province's Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture.

The amateur inter-village basketball tournament became a massive viral hit online last year, as netizens were amazed by the intoxicating atmosphere, massive participation and extreme popularity.

This year's event, held from July 15 to 30, is divided into five categories: nonprofessional players from outside of the county; local villagers age 16 to 40; students age 16 or younger; people from 40 to 50 years old; and women, according to organizers.

Li, a resident of Nandong village, has taken part in similar basketball competitions in different townships in Taijiang for more than 10 years, but he had never played in front of such a large crowd before.

His team consisted of 12 people, seven of whom were high school and university students. His village also sent dozens of people to cheer them on. However, his team lost to a team from another village, 32 to 55.

"Nerves got to us, as many of our teammates are still students and had never played on such a big stage. We had a meeting to discuss the game right after it was over, and we are practicing every week for competitions held in other townships," he said.

Basketball competitions are very important for villages in Taijiang, Li said.

"Winning a competition is like winning a battle. Although we did not perform well this year, we have won several times at competitions held in other townships before," he said.

"Everyone in the village talked about those victories. The whole village celebrated with banquets and feasts, and the trophies were housed at the village committee office and at players' homes in turn."

Cen Jianglong, head of Taipan village and co-organizer of the Village BA, said 247 teams signed up for the event this year, up from 176 last year.

"The event has been held for many years, and we never imagined that it would go viral," he said. "There is a very strong basketball atmosphere in the village, and many villagers and even small children like playing, as there are not many forms of recreation in the village," he said.

Li Zexian also played at this year's Village BA, and his team also lost. He has been busy watching other games over the past few days.

The 33-year-old is a migrant worker in Zhejiang province and returned to the village specifically to participate in the event.

"Ever since the Village BA became an internet sensation last year, I tell my co-workers in Zhejiang with great pride that I am from Taijiang and have played in the games before, and they all look at me with envy."

With more tourists from around the country coming to watch the games, it has brought more revenue to local people, and Li said he is thinking about finding a job in Taijiang so he can be closer to his newborn child, he said.

"I recommend everyone to come here and feel the energy and passion themselves," he said.

Contact the writers at zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn