The finals for the second "Beautiful Countryside" basketball league in Southwest China's Guizhou Province kicked off in Taipan village, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, on Wednesday. The grassroots organization, known as the "Village Basketball Association" or "VBA," has drawn wide cheers from enthusiastic audiences due to its down-to-earth style.

4月24日，贵州省第二届“美丽乡村”篮球联赛总决赛在黔东南州台江县台盘村“村BA”篮球场开打。由于其接地气的比赛风格，比赛现场时不时爆发出许多观众的热情欢呼。

The finals, which will be broadcast live online to audiences across the country, will last until Saturday. The basketball league has organized more than 4,000 amateur basketball teams, with a total of 48,730 participants. A total of 11,455 games have been played, reaching 7.52 million people, according to the Qiandongnan authorities.

4月24日起，“村BA”总决赛将在全网向全国观众直播，活动将持续到本周六。全国篮球联赛共组织业余篮球队4000余支，参赛人数48730人。据黔东南有关部门称，共组织了11455场比赛，参与人数达到752万人。

The group stages are being held on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by an opening ceremony and semi-finals on Friday. The finals for the championship will take place on Saturday, an official from the Guizhou provincial sports bureau told the Global Times on Wednesday.

小组赛将于周三和周四举行，随后是开幕式和周五的半决赛。贵州省体育局相关负责人周三告诉《环球时报》，半决赛的决赛将于周六举行。

Nine representative teams from Guizhou will participate in the competition, which is divided into two stages. Meanwhile, the participating athletes must be local residents aged between 22 and 45 years old, said the authorities.

共有的9支来自贵州的代表队参加比赛，比赛分为两个阶段。同时，参赛运动员必须是22岁至45岁的当地居民。

The VBA has not only "boosted the growth of sports in the area" but has also contributed to "advancing rural revitalization, tourism, and local economic development," the official said. 

贵州省体育局相关负责人表示，VBA不仅促进了该地区体育的发展，还为推进乡村振兴、旅游业和当地经济发展做出了贡献。

Distinctive Miao cultural performances are also being staged during intermissions.

中场休息时，还会上演独特的苗族文化表演。

The VBA may not have professional players, referees, or large-scale venues like the NBA, but the enthusiasm of spectators for basketball is very strong. Since July 2022, the grassroots basketball league gained popularity due to its lively atmosphere and videos that went viral online.

VBA可能没有专业的球员和裁判，也没有像NBA那样的大型场馆，但抵挡不住观众对篮球的热情。2022年7月以来，村“BA”因其活跃的氛围和爆红的视频而受到广泛关注。

A three-day VBA in 2023 also attracted more than 180,000 tourist trips to Taijiang county in Qiandongnan, generating tourism revenue of 55.16 million yuan ($7.59 million).

2023年，为期三天的村“BA”吸引了超过18万游客前往黔东南台江县，旅游收入达到5516万元(759万美元)。

Source: Global Times

Editor: Lai Yingying

Senior Editor: Min Jie