Feature: Sports bring people of various ethnic groups together in Xinjiang

URUMQI, June 29 (Xinhua) -- A multi-ethnic amateur basketball team named The Commanders is well-known in the amateur basketball courts of Urumqi, the capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

"People know us not because we play well, but because we have played together for over 10 years," said Make, captain of The Commanders and a barber from the Hui ethnic group.

The team has nearly 50 players from seven ethnic groups, including Han, Uygur, Mongolian and Dongxiang. They do different jobs, and some got to know each other in school or at the workplace, but most of them just met because of basketball.

The players try to "use all our spare time possible to play basketball together," said Baoyin, a veteran player from the Mongolian ethnic group.

From strangers on the court to friends in daily life, the team members often visit each other, organizing off-court activities and vacations, taking their families together for outings and gatherings.

The Commanders are not the sole example of how sports can bring people of different ethnic groups together.

Du Baozhu, a former member of the Chinese national hockey team, moved to Tacheng, northwestern Xinjiang in 2014 and built up a primary school team there. Just in two years, they managed to make breakthroughs in national competitions.

"The team is composed of students of various ethnic groups, eight to nine ethnic groups at most, usually including Han, Daur, Kazak and so on," Li Ming, a coach of the hockey team, introduced.

"Through sports, kids from different ethnic groups learn, play and grow together," he added.

Like other areas in China, Xinjiang's local communities also play a big role in organizing sports activities at the grassroots level.

Elyar Amat is a Uygur student who came back to Kashgar from Jilin University on vacation. This summer, Amat will represent his community team in a local football tournament. "Teaming up with my neighbors in the community feels so good," said Amat. "It will enhance our friendship and communication."

Turahun Abdurahman, vice chairman of the Xinjiang Football Association, noted that more than 10,000 matches will be held during the upcoming Kashgar five-a-side youth tournament this summer, which will push forward the development of community football and promote communication among people of all ethnic groups.

Liuxing street, a traditional multi-ethnic community in Yining, is becoming an attraction for visitors for its colorful activities of folk culture and sports.

Cui Xiaojuan, a tourist from east China's Jiangsu Province, is more interested in the square dance in Liuxing street than the buildings and food.

"The residents told me these dancers are from different ethnic groups and they like to learn and dance with each other, that impressed me most," she said.