Scene of the opening ceremony
On the evening of August 20th, the Southern Division of the 2025 National Harmonious and Beautiful Village Basketball Tournament titled “Vibrant Land” (Village BA) was held in Xiaoping Town, Chenxi County. Participants of the ceremony included: Zhou Xiaofei, former deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission and vice chairman of the Central State Organs Basketball Association; Yin Xiao, inspector of the Department of Rural Social Undertakings Promotion from Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Song Juguo, deputy Party secretary and executive vice president of the Central Agricultural Broadcasting and Television School, and deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Farmers Sports Association; Zheng Haixia, former center of the Chinese Women's National Basketball Team, FIBA Hall of Famer, and member of the Chinese Basketball Hall of Fame; Zhang Xiaoni, former main center of the Chinese Women's National Basketball Team and five-time WCBA champion; Xu Zhongjian, Party Committee secretary of Huaihua Municipal Government; Lan Dingguo, inspector of the Hunan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Luo Lixin, inspector of Hunan Provincial Sports Bureau; and Cheng Yi, a young actor from Chenxi.
Scene of ceremony
Organizing bodies included the Department of Rural Social Undertakings Promotion of the Ministry of Agriculture of China, the Rural Affairs and the Mass Sports Department of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Farmers Sports Association, the Mass Sports Department of the All-China Sports Federation, the Hunan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Hunan Provincial Sports Bureau, the Huaihua Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, the Hunan Provincial Farmers Sports Association, the Huaihua Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Huaihua Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television, and Sports, the Chenxi County Party Committee and County Government, and the Chinese Basketball Association. The entire event lasts 8 days, featuring over 200 farmer players from 18 teams representing 10 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions: Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Guizhou, and Yunnan.
Attendees also included comrades from the agriculture, rural affairs, and sports departments of the related provinces and municipalities, as well as municipal leaders Li Weilin and Xiang Rulian.
Scene of the opening match. (Photos by Yang Zhiwei and Pan Yu/Huaihua Daily)
During the opening match held after the ceremony, the Hunan Chenxi team defeated the Shanghai Chongming team by 113-56.
As the prelude activities for the 5th Hunan Tourism Development Conference, relevant events will be carried out during the period including the “Village Evening” cultural performances, exhibitions on the achievements of harmonious and beautiful village construction, the agricultural specialty product fairs, the intangible cultural heritage skill displays, the Summer Culture Festival, and activities to “Bring Sports to the Countryside”.
(Translated by Dong Yue)