Mass cultural, sports activities inject new impetus into high-quality development of SW China's Guizhou

In recent years, southwest China's Guizhou Province has been accelerating the construction of a culturally rich province known as "Colorful Guizhou", focusing on the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding traditional culture. It actively encourages and supports local creativity in organizing mass cultural and sports activities.

A football match, a "village evening", a roadside concert... In today's Guizhou, a diverse and flourishing culture is thriving, with mass cultural and sports activities booming. These have become sources of joy for the people, drivers of industrial development, and key elements in rural revitalization, presenting a scene full of vitality and warmth.

Innovative inheritance and development of traditional culture

Guizhou is known as the "cultural archipelago" due to its diverse cultural landscape. It is home to 18 resident ethnic groups, which together have nurtured a rich and unique history and culture featuring revolutionary sites, diverse ethnic cultures, excellent traditional culture, and distinctive cultural heritage.

Tourists enjoy the culture of the Miao ethnic group in Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village in Leishan county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)

In particular, Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village in Leishan county, is the world's largest Miao ethnic settlement. It is renowned for preserving the traditional lifestyle and culture of the Miao people in its most complete form.

Boasting 15 national-level intangible cultural heritage items, the village is known as the "living fossil" and "museum" of Miao culture.

While passing down the Miao culture from generation to generation, the village has made continuous efforts to keep up with the times in a bid to inject fresh vitality into its traditional culture.

Drawing upon the rich traditions and practices of the Miao culture, such as folk songs, embroidery, ancient papermaking techniques, and a guest welcoming ceremony, the village has developed ancient song performances, guest welcoming performances, and folk customs displays, among other activities, according to Yang Guang, an executive of a local tourism company.

Through a harmonious blend of exhibitions, interactive experiences, and enchanting night tours, the village is promoting the innovative development of traditional culture, Yang said.

"I deeply felt the cultural characteristics here and experienced a 'cultural feast'," said a tourist surnamed Qin, after enjoying a large-scale cultural show in Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village.

He was invited to join performers on stage and took part in a traditional wedding ceremony performance and performances of Miao ethnic songs and dances.

High-tech applications have also facilitated visitors' experience of and sense of participation in cultural activities.

Utilizing its abundant revolutionary cultural and tourism resources, Guizhou has built the country's first comprehensive immersive digital experience hall themed around the Long March.

Photo shows an area of a Long March-themed digital experience museum in Guiyang city, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)

Named the "Red Ribbon", the digital experience hall incorporates advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) virtual interaction, holographic imaging, multi-dimensional mechanical movement, virtual reality (VR), and a three-dimensional sound field, and combines realistic trenches, snow-capped mountains, props, and actor performances to fully "reproduce" scenes of the Long March.

"I've virtually experienced the Red Army's Long March firsthand here, and immersed myself in the spirit of the Long March and am deeply moved," said a visitor named Wei Wei.

Jointly building stages of joy

While promoting the prosperity of culture, Guizhou has also made great efforts to benefit the local residents with cultural activities.

Currently, a large number of cultural and sports activities launched for the benefit of the general public, such as village basketball and football matches, roadside concerts, village running races, and village galas, are becoming key parts of the province's endeavor to improve its public cultural service system.

In Taipan village, Taipan township, Taijiang county, an innovative event known as the Village Basketball League, or affectionately called "Cun BA" by netizens, has been popular among local residents and netizens.

Photo shows an aerial view of a village basketball game held in Taipan village, Taipan township, Taijiang county, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)

The event, which has evolved from a local basketball match held to celebrate a traditional festival on the sixth day of the sixth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, went viral online in 2022 and has continued to garner increasing popularity ever since.

"The key to the sustained popularity of the competition lies in the fact that villagers have the final say in the event," said Cen Jianglong, head of the villagers' committee of Taipan village and president of the village's basketball association.

According to Cen, the players in the "Cun BA" competition are local villagers, and the cultural performance teams are made up of local residents.

The initiation, scheduling, cultural performances, prizes, awards, and other aspects of the competition, are all decided by the local villagers through consultation, Cen said.

After the event gained popularity, villagers decided through consultations to develop a cultural brand based on the signature "Cun BA", as well as other related arrangements, Cen added.

A roadside concert held under an ancient city wall at Wenchang Pavilion in Yunyan district, Guiyang city, capital of Guizhou, has also enjoyed great popularity among local residents since last year.

Photo shows a roadside concert held under an ancient city wall at Wenchang Pavilion in Yunyan district, Guiyang city, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province. (People's Daily Online/Tu Min)

As classic music pieces are performed one after another, music fans, passersby, and tourists are often seen joining in one after another, quickly filling up the natural small stage formed along the steps.

Data show that in the past year, this small stage alone witnessed 38 concerts, with over 600 performers taking the stage and nearly 80,000 on-site viewers.

In addition, various roadside concerts have been springing up in various areas of the city, including night markets, underground passages, public squares, and various street corners.

In the eyes of Liu Xiaoxiang, a volunteer at the Wenchang Pavilion roadside concert, such open concerts not only provide a stage for music lovers but also offer a new cultural space for citizens to relax and unwind.

Integrated development of culture and tourism industries pushing rural revitalization

After watching the final of the Village Super League on the evening of July 20 in Rongjiang county, a tourist named Yang Jian, who originally planned to return home, decided to stay longer for a more in-depth exploration of the local communities.

"I want to stay here for another day, visit the morning market, and then explore the nearby villages of the Dong ethnic group more thoroughly," Yang explained.

The Village Super League, a village football tournament dubbed "Cun Chao" by netizens, fascinates visitors with a lively atmosphere, mesmerizing folk performances, and unique flavors of local specialty foods, he said.

Photo shows people watching a village football game held in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo/Zhou Guangsheng)

"'Cun Chao' is not only a football event but also a happiness industry and a joyful economy," said Xu Bo, mayor of Rongjiang county.

According to Xu, the county has leveraged the influence of the event to hold and support a variety of featured activities on and off the field, including intangible cultural heritage-themed culinary events, folk festivals, and a watermelon festival, while continuously enriching tourism product supply and infrastructure supply around catering, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment.

The efforts have further promoted the trend of tourists visiting Rongjiang from various parts of the country because of its cultural and sports activities.

In 2023, the county received nearly 7.66 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 52.16 percent, and saw its comprehensive tourism revenue increase by 73.94 percent from the previous year.

Leveraging the unique cultural, ethnic, and regional characteristics of its cultural and sports activities, Guizhou has launched a series of high-quality cultural tourism routes that include revolutionary sites, intangible cultural heritage-themed routes for study tours, as well as cultural and sports tourism routes featuring the "Cun Chao" and "Cun BA."

The endeavor has fostered synergy between the culture and tourism industries, not only facilitating the integrated development of relevant industries, but also contributing to rural revitalization of the province.

The basketball court has become a new platform for promoting rural civility, according to Cen.

Now local residents actively participate in initiatives for improving the region, working together to create a beautiful and livable new environment, Cen added.