As evening fell in late October, the basketball court in Taipan Village, Taijiang County, Guizhou Province, was brightly lit for the "Village BA" games. On the court, players exchanged passes, reveling in the thrill of the sport, while outside, restaurants and streets buzzed with activity, brimming with lively energy. At the entrance, Jiang Wei, the village Party branch secretary, raised his voice: "All Party members and volunteers, please guide spectators to enter in an orderly manner."
In 2022, this remote mountain village with fewer than 1,200 residents unexpectedly gained fame for its down-to-earth, grassroots basketball tournament, dubbed "Village BA" by netizens. Standing courtside, Zhang De, deputy head of Taipan Township and former first secretary of Taipan Village, recalled how the sudden popularity of "Village BA" brought a flood of tourists nationwide, exposing challenges in infrastructure and tourism services.
"Facing these difficulties, Party leadership played a crucial role," Zhang De said. The village committee formed a tournament organizing committee to standardize event management while strengthening oversight through Party branch meetings, villager assemblies, and courtyard discussions to gather opinions and improve coordination.
After the 2022 "June Six" harvest festival basketball tournament, the village Party branch held a public meeting right on the court. Under the night sky, over a hundred villagers sat in a circle, voicing concerns: "Traffic jams block my doorstep daily, and garbage piles up," "Tourists ask for decent lodging, but we have none to recommend."
Amid the discussion, Yang Guangxian, a Party member in his 50s, stood up and declared, "I’ll offer my homestead land for the village to build a media center for 'Village BA.'"
"Party members led cleanup efforts, officials coordinated parking, and villagers formed volunteer teams—everyone pitched in," Zhang De said. The Party branch also innovated by establishing a "Large-Scale Public Event Safety Service Support Party Branch," creating a dual-branch mechanism to ensure safety during events.
The rise of "Village BA" also drew young people back to the village to start businesses. Cen Jianglong, a former star player of the Taipan team with experience working in coastal cities, exemplifies this trend.
"As head of the village basketball association, I’m continuing the older generation’s legacy by making 'Village BA' a nationwide sensation," Cen said proudly. "After returning, I joined the Party and was elected village committee director. I’m confident we can keep improving 'Village BA' together."
"More young people are choosing to return," Cen noted. Before 2022, over 600 villagers worked elsewhere, but by 2025, only about 40 remained outside.
"Basketball alone isn’t enough—we need to make tourists stay longer," Jiang Wei said. The village Party branch extended the tournament’s economic impact by founding a collective economic development company, repurposing idle resources to build homestays, cultural markets, and indoor courts.
"On game days, my homestay is always fully booked," said Huang Xingqiang, a young Party member who quit his job in Guiyang to convert his family’s vacant house into a lodge. "With the Party branch leading, 'Village BA' keeps growing, and life is looking up for everyone."
Today, Taipan Village boasts over 20 homestays, creating jobs for more than 200 people. In 2024, collective income exceeded 5 million yuan.
As night deepened, the scoreboard flickered, and cheers in various dialects filled the air. After a busy evening, Jiang Wei remained energized: "We must keep pushing forward, scoring more 'winning shots' in this rural revitalization relay race."