On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, February 20th, Guizhou province was bathed in sunshine, radiating vitality. A series of village-level sports events, including "Village BA" basketball, "Village Super" football, and "Village Horse" racing, amplified the festive spirit during the Spring Festival holiday. Cheers of "Jiayou! Jiayou!" filled the "Village BA" basketball court in Taipan Village, Taipan Township, Taijiang County, Qiandongnan Prefecture, where an intense game was underway between the Taipan Village team and the Yangfang Village team. Spectators in the stands roared with excitement, transforming the venue into a sea of joy.
This marked the first competition day for "Village BA" during the holiday, attracting a large and lively audience. Cen Jianglong, a Village BA organizer and director of the Taipan Village Committee, noted that eight teams from Taipan Township are participating in the "New Spring Basketball Tournament," bringing additional joy to the festivities.
On the same day, Rongjiang County, the birthplace of "Village Super," commenced its holiday schedule with the ongoing 2026 fourth "Village Super" preliminary matches at the tournament's football field. A total of 137 village teams have registered to compete. Despite being the first day of the holiday, the venue was packed early with spectators who enjoyed the sunshine and thrilling matches, their faces lit with smiles. Commentator Yang Bing remarked that the "Village Super," centered on joy and energy, significantly boosts the "happiness quotient" of the Spring Festival holiday.
The Year of the Horse naturally featured equestrian activities. At the Western Horse Racing City in Sandu Shui Autonomous County, Qiannan Prefecture, the 2026 Spring Festival "Guizhou Village Horse" National Ethnic Speed Horse Racing Open officially began, promoted by the slogan "Watch 'Village Horse' in the Year of the Horse for increased happiness." As horses galloped, crowds cheered passionately for both the competitors and the new year celebrations.
Since 2022, Guizhou has not only spawned internationally popular events like "Village BA" and "Village Super" but also seen the emergence of grassroots horse racing ("Village Horse") and car racing ("Village GT"). These "sports+" village competitions continuously inject vitality into the integrated development of agriculture, culture, sports, tourism, and commerce in the province.
In recent years, various village sports events have proliferated in Guizhou, consistently adding vitality, stimulating consumption, and heating up the local Spring Festival atmosphere. Yang Bing, a long-time "Village Super" commentator, stated that these events serve as a grand stage for shared joy and act as an "engine" for local economic and social development.
During recent Spring Festival holidays, village competitions have been key drivers of festive fervor. In the 2025 holiday, Taijiang County, host of "Village BA," received 1.677 million tourist visits, a year-on-year increase of 10.44%, generating comprehensive tourism revenue of 245 million yuan, up 8.89%. Rongjiang County, home to "Village Super," welcomed 2.338 million visitors, an 11.95% rise, with tourism revenue reaching 263 million yuan, a 13.36% increase.
This year, the "Village BA" New Spring Basketball Tournament venue will also host special activities like tug-of-war, sandbag throwing, blindfolded gong hitting, and bean picking to enrich the audience experience. Additionally, the "Village Super" football field will feature games such as arrow throwing, shuttlecock kicking, and hoop rolling. Cultural and sports activities, including basketball, tug-of-war, and Dong ethnic grand songs, will be held in villages like Sanbao Dong Village and Gaodong Village, channeling the "Village Super" momentum into rural communities to create a joyful Spring Festival for all.