Feature: Basketball fervor empowers rural revitalization in NW China

YINCHUAN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- With no big screens or superstars, an outdoor basketball court in a remote village in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has nevertheless attracted tens of thousands to its matches.

The event, known as the Village Basketball Competition or "CunBA", kicked off on Sunday morning in Xiji County in Xihaigu region, long deemed "uninhabitable" until the last decade or so.

Over the following five days, 18 teams from nine provinces and regions in China's northwest will compete for the two tickets to participate in the national "CunBA" finals in Guizhou Province later this year.

Though once in extreme poverty, Xihaigu farmers have a great passion for basketball.

"I'm crazy about basketball," said Hai Xu, a 28-year-old from Xinglong Town in Xihaigu. His team has stood out from the preliminary rounds and will represent Ningxia in the qualifying competition.

Standing 1.95 meters tall, Hai fell in love with basketball at an early age. As he recalled, there was no standard basketball court in the village back then, and they had to play on a patch of dusty ground with a makeshift net made of an iron ring, a plank and a stick.

"We would be covered with dust after a game on the court, but playing basketball was great fun," said Hai.

Thanks to China's rural revitalization efforts, the Xihaigu area has seen tremendous changes in recent years. Xinglong Town, for example, has grown into one of the region's largest village-level beef cattle trading markets and an important trade center of vegetables and beef thanks to convenient transportation.

As economic conditions improve, the dusty courts have been replaced with concrete grounds, and the wooden ball stands have been upgraded to standard ones.

To support grassroots basketball development, the local government has built a large outdoor basketball court that can accommodate 30,000 people and a basketball gymnasium in Xinglong Town.

Today, a basketball match in the town can attract tens of thousands of spectators. To get the best view, villagers often arrive an hour early to secure seats. Those who fail to get a seat stand at the back, even standing on soda cans to get a closer look.

Ma Jinkui, 48, is a basketball enthusiast from Xinglong Town. In the backyard of his home, a handmade basketball stand made from an iron ring and a plank still hangs on the brick wall.

"I bought the iron ring for ten yuan at a recycling station about ten years ago," recalled Ma, adding that the old basketball stand has brought great joy to his two sons throughout their childhood.

Last year, Ma bought a mini basketball stand online for his granddaughter. The four-year-old also enjoys tapping the ball and making the basket, but the old stand is too high for her to reach.

"Playing basketball is good for health. Now that our living conditions have improved, we can afford better equipment for children," said Ma.

Playing basketball can uplift people's spirits and help them stay away from bad habits such as gambling, said Wang, adding that the sport plays an irreplaceable role in rural revitalization as it motivates villagers to open up businesses or find jobs instead of idling around.

Basketball games have not only brought fame to the region but have also helped boost the local economy and tourism. During basketball events, restaurants and hotels in Xinglong Town have been fully booked, and convenience stores also see booming business.

"I can earn an extra 5,000 yuan a day when there is a competition in our town, as people from neighboring areas flock here to watch basketball games," said Ye Haijun, a 38-year-old who runs a restaurant in Xinglong Town which can accommodate over 400 people.

After months of training, the 12 players of the Xinglong team stand ready for the big game. "Our goal is to make it to the finals and demonstrate our basketball capabilities on a bigger stage," Hai said excitedly.