Hunan Chenxi Team (in white uniforms) and Shanghai Chongming Team compete fiercely at the opening game on the evening of August 20. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Li Xiatao, Hunan Daily)  

The opening game of the 2025 National Village Basketball Tournament ("Village BA") South Division kicked off at Aiguo Village, Xiaoping Town, Chenxi County on the evening of August 20. More than 200 athletes from 18 farmer teams across 10 domestic provinces and regions, including Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Guizhou, and Yunnan, participated in the competition.

The event was guided by the Department of Rural Social Services of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Mass Sports Department of the General Administration of Sport. It was jointly hosted by the Chinese Farmer Physical Culture Association, the Mass Sports Department of the All-China Sports Federation, the Hunan Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Hunan Sports Bureau, and the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee and Huaihua Municipal People's Government. 

The tournament will last for eight days, featuring 44 matches. The top four teams, along with the host team, will advance to the national finals which will be held in October in Taijiang County, Guizhou Province.

Chenxi County is the first officially-recognized "County of Basketball" in Hunan Province. All 23 towns and townships and 294 villages and communities across the county have their own basketball teams, with over 30 basketball clubs established. The county hosted the Hunan Village BA in 2023 and 2024, attracting nearly 200,000 spectators each year.

Hunan Chenxi Team (in white uniforms) and Shanghai Chongming Team compete fiercely at the opening game on the evening of August 20. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Lixiatao, Hunan Daily)

Hunan Chenxi Team (in white uniforms) and Shanghai Chongming Team compete fiercely at the opening game on the evening of August 20. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Lixiatao, Hunan Daily)

Hunan Chenxi Team (in white uniforms) and Shanghai Chongming Team compete fiercely at the opening game on the evening of August 20. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Lixiatao, Hunan Daily)

Hunan Chenxi Team (in white uniforms) and Shanghai Chongming Team compete fiercely at the opening game on the evening of August 20. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Lixiatao, Hunan Daily)

Spectators and fans shout their support at the sidelines. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Lixiatao, Hunan Daily)

Spectators and fans cheer for the athletes enthusiastically at the sidelines. (Photo/Guo Liliang and Lixiatao, Hunan Daily)

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn. 

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese sources: hunan.gov.cn; hunantoday