Ancient Chinese village leaps onto modern sport podium

XI'AN, China, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Standing in a harvested wheat field, 62-year-old farmer Chen Changlin put on his sports shirt, grabbing a table tennis paddle and readying himself for a competitive match against his peer farmer athletes.

This is a common sight in northwestern China's Qishan County every evening. Folks living in Liujiayuan, a 3,000-year-old village located in Qishan, Baoji city of Shaanxi Province, practice table tennis indoors and outdoors during summer.

Although he was not born in Liujiayuan, Chen planted vegetables and fruits in the village for years and has already lived a leisurely life without worrying about poverty. Chen, who began to learn table tennis over 40 years ago, found many sports enthusiasts in his neighborhood.

"I'd like to gather all table tennis enthusiasts of Qishan into an organization and learn to play table tennis together," Chen said.

Chen's dream of an amateur association accompanied him all these years wherever he went to play competitions. His dedication paid off when Qishan Farmers' Table Tennis Association (QFTTA) was set up on July 9, 2021.

The launch of the Chinese first-ever grassroots farmers' table tennis association was attended by the Administration of Sports of Shaanxi, the Chinese Table Tennis Association, the local government and former table tennis world champion Qi Baoxiang.

"It is the most memorable time in my lifetime," Chen said with a shaky voice. "The association roots in villages and serves farmers, and now we have a table tennis organization for farmers ourselves."

Chen's chase of his dream never stops as a year later, the first edition of the Qishan Farmers' Table Tennis Championships kicked off in the County on Thursday. Hosted by the local government and organized by QFTTA, the championship is also the first farmers' table tennis competition held in Shaanxi, attracting more than 100 contenders of 25 village teams from Qishan and neighboring counties in Shaanxi.

"A total of 1,300 farmers have registered as members of the association up to date, and the branches cover over 40 villages and communities in Qishan," he said, adding that he is delighted to see more and more of his peers improve their skills during competitions.

"What we have to do now is not only increase the number of members but also consolidate the foundation, organizing inter-village competitions more frequently," he added.

During the one-day competition, Chen, who represented the team of QTTA, won second place. While Liujiayuan organized five teams with male and female table tennis amateurs to feature in the championship, four of which qualified from the group stage.

"They are a small part of table tennis fans in Liujiayuan. The matches are quite competitive, especially the game we play against teams outside Qishan," said Zhou Wenlin, the captain of Team Liujiayuan and the secretary of the Liujiayuan Party branch.

According to Zhou, the change in the village is also attributed to Chen. Influenced and encouraged by Chen, more and more farmers participate daily in fitness.

"Folks believe Chen not only can lead them to get rid of poverty but also help them earn a healthy and happy life," Zhou added.

The village holds a bunch of sports events to meet the needs of farmers' daily workouts. Besides table tennis, basketball, Yangko dance and other activities were also introduced in the village.

"Villagers play table tennis, basketball and exercise together, creating a harmonious family and neighborhood relationship. Liujiayuan is getting more civilized, and the residents here live a happier life through sports," Zhou said.

Recently, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, General Administration of Sports, and National Rural Revitalization Administration jointly issued an instruction for the high-quality development of farmers' sports and fitness in the 14th Five-Year Plan period. As a vital role in building a leading sports nation and the Healthy China Initiative, farmers still have urgent needs for high-quality sports supplies such as more fitness venues and more professional guidance as the country's farmers' sports have taken a giant leap in the past few years.

"The countryside is getting better and better, and farmers want to have the same standard of living as urban people. We now have more choices in daily leisure life," said Chen.

The development of farmers' sports not only enhances the physical and mental well-being of farmers and the appearance of the countryside but also promotes the teamwork, strong will and fair play among farmers.

As a national referee of table tennis and the general secretary of the Baoji Table Tennis Association, Tian Junqing said at the championship in Qishan, he could see the confidence and tenacity in the eyes of the table tennis contenders during matches.

"The spirit of hard-working, unyielding, fearlessness and awareness of competition are not only the values of sports but also the qualities of helping the revitalization of the countryside," Tian said.

"The holding of such farmers' sports event is not only the outcome of rural development but also showcases the continuous improvement of farmers' physical and mental outlook. We look forward to more sports activities in rural areas across the country," he added.