The "Vraft Village Super League" (Cunchao) and "Village Basketball Association" (CunBA) in Guizhou have seen sustained popularity in recent years, creating a phenomenal impact. A hot topic of discussion among many committee members at the 2026 Guizhou Provincial Two Sessions was how to maintain the long-term vitality of these "village" brands and achieve enduring success. The photo shows the scene of the opening ceremony of the 4th Guizhou "Cunchao" in 2026.
The year 2026 marks the fourth year of the "Cunchao" event. Since its inception in 2023, the event has cumulatively attracted 1,750 football teams from across China and over 1,700 international players from 62 countries, including France, Argentina, and Brazil, to Rongjiang for exchanges. The event's ripple effect has been significant, with Rongjiang receiving 27.5 million tourist visits, adding 9,471 new market entities, and achieving a comprehensive tourism revenue of 31.2 billion yuan.
Gao Yanyan, a member of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Supervisor of the Hong Kong Asian Youth Association, has visited Rongjiang multiple times. She previously led football teams composed of Hong Kong police officers and individuals from the construction industry to Rongjiang for exchange and interaction through friendly matches. She stated that in 2026, she will continue to organize football teams from Hong Kong, including a youth team formed by children of Hong Kong police officers, to visit Rongjiang for friendly matches, further promoting sports and cultural exchanges between the two places.
Guizhou has proposed to deepen the integrated development of culture, tourism, and sports, and to continue hosting "village" brand activities effectively. Gao Yanyan suggested further strengthening the international dissemination of the "Cunchao" brand. By leveraging the demonstration effect of football stars, its global influence and attention could be enhanced, thereby promoting this grassroots sports and cultural activity to a broader world stage.
Xia Junying, a member of the Guizhou Provincial CPPCC Committee and President of the Macau Jiangmen Youth Association, drawing from her personal experience playing in the "CunBA," suggested deepening cooperation between Guizhou, Hong Kong, and Macau. She proposed establishing a regular exchange mechanism and utilizing the bridging role of CPPCC members from Hong Kong and Macau to promote the entry of "village" events into these regions. Xia Junying proposed using Hong Kong and Macau as international event nodes to regularly host international invitational tournaments, inviting teams from Belt and Road Initiative partner countries and Portuguese-speaking countries. This would explore a dual-cycle model of "Hong Kong/Macau preliminary rounds + Guizhou finals," while actively inviting international teams to compete in Guizhou and experience its rural sports culture. She also suggested creating integrated "spectator-tourism-residency" products to extend the consumption chain, collaborating with the tourism industry to launch all-in-one packages combining "spectating + intangible cultural heritage experiences +特色住宿," building a service loop that starts with watching games, centers on deep experiences, and concludes with wellness stays.
In addition to "Cunchao," events like "CunBA" and "Cunma" (Village Marathon) are also flourishing. The "CunBA" has deeply integrated with Miao ethnic festivals like the "June Sixth" and the Single-Log Dragon Boat Festival. During the May Day holiday in 2025, related activities attracted 35,400 tourist visits, generating a comprehensive tourism revenue of 12.0715 million yuan. Since 2023, Sandu Shui Autonomous County in Guizhou, which hosts "Cunma" events, has achieved a comprehensive tourism revenue of 15.3 billion yuan and received over 16 million cumulative tourist visits.
According to a press conference held by the Guizhou Provincial Sports Bureau, in the first half of 2026, Guizhou will host over 40 "village" brand activities, covering ethnic festivals such as the Miao Sisters' Festival and the Dong Grand Song Festival. Regarding the future direction of the "village" brands, the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy proposed a series of suggestions. First, innovate the linkage and transformation mechanism for the "village" IP, shifting from "single-point viral fame" to "systematic long-term success." This involves establishing a "Culture-Sports-Tourism IP Incubation and Transformation Center" to promote the transformation of IP from event-based activities into forms such as themed homestays, cultural and creative products, research study courses, and even film, television, and animation. Second, implement a "traffic deep processing" plan to transition from "brief spectator stays" to "immersive consumption." This includes developing "deep experience workshops" that incorporate local history and folklore, creating exclusive products for the "post-event economy."
Xu Bo, a delegate to the Guizhou Provincial People's Congress and Secretary of the Rongjiang County Party Committee, stated in an interview that, following the three-step internationalization strategy for "Cunchao," preparations are earnestly underway for the "Cunchao" International Tournament and the "Cunchao" World Cup. Through systematic scheduling, the aim is to ensure "weekly activities, monthly highlights, and seasonal climaxes."