During the peak of summer, the rural areas of Guizhou have already come alive with vibrant energy. At the drum tower of Zhaoxing Dong Village in Liping County, an elderly song leader starts a tune, and over a hundred villagers join in harmony. In the western county of Sandu, the horse racing track echoes with the sound of hooves as young Shui riders gallop forward. At the Amei Qituo Town in Qinglong County, Yi girls dance with confident steps, their smiles as bright as the azaleas on the hillside.
In recent years, from "Village BA" and "Village Super League" to "Village T" and "Village Horse Racing," and further to "Village Dance" and "Village Gala," a diverse array of mass cultural and sports events have flourished across Guizhou, illuminating the rural landscape like a wildfire. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, by the end of 2025, there were 24 types of nationally recognized village-level events, with Guizhou accounting for over 40 million participants, representing more than one-third of the national total.
The stability of the world lies in the prosperity of its people, and its harmony lies in their joy. What is the source of vitality behind Guizhou's village-level events, which have transitioned from a fleeting trend to a lasting phenomenon? Recently, reporters visited Miao and Dong villages, football fields, and community stages to explore the new livelihood landscape behind the popularity of Guizhou's village events.
Seeking Joy: The People Take Center Stage
As the sun sets over the Miao Mountains, the "Village BA" basketball court in Taipan Village, Taijiang County, Guizhou, is packed to capacity. Players on the court compete fiercely, and cheers echo through the valley. The "June 6th" New Rice Festival basketball game is in full swing. "The tradition of playing basketball in our village has never been broken," said Lu Dajiang, an elderly basketball enthusiast over 80, as he gestured from the stands. "In the past, when we were poor, we used wooden boards for backboards and cotton thread to tie the ball. We still played. When there was no money for a tournament, everyone pooled together a dozen yuan to buy towels and make prize flags. We managed to get the game going anyway."
However, the basketball game in Taipan Village only gained widespread attention in recent years. The transition from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization led to a comprehensive upgrade of the village's water, electricity, roads, and networks. The shortcomings in cultural and sports facilities were addressed, and the tournaments became increasingly popular each year. Returning young people captured videos and uploaded them online, attracting nationwide attention and overnight fame for the "Village BA."
Five years after its rise to fame, the strong local flavor of "Village BA" remains unchanged. Cen Jianglong, the village committee director of Taipan Village, listed the rules: "The villagers decide how the tournament is run. We insist on no ticket sales, no commercial advertisements, and no VIP seating. All players, referees, and volunteers are villagers. The prizes are all local agricultural products like yellow cattle, fragrant pigs, and carp-mouth fragrant rice." With zero barriers to participation, everyone becomes a joyful protagonist.
As more villagers step into the spotlight, the enthusiasm for village-level events ignites quickly. In Zhaoxing Dong Village, Liping County, the Dong Grand Song echoes from under the drum towers and by the wind-rain bridges. "In our village, the Dong Grand Song has been passed down for over a thousand years," said Lu Yanyu, a county-level inheritor of the Dong Grand Song and leader of the Zhaoxing Village performance team, with pride. "Under the drum tower, by the fireplace, on the ridges of rice paddies—everywhere is a song hall. Singing is as essential as eating; it's a part of life."
But to let people beyond the mountains see and hear these village events, a bigger stage was needed. "In recent years, the county has seen the opening of expressways and high-speed rail. The tourist road now reaches the village entrance, bringing in more and more visitors," said Xu Xinji, the first secretary stationed in Zhaoxing Village. "The county took the opportunity to build the 'Guizhou Village Song' brand, making it a new calling card for cultural and tourism integration." This year, the "Guizhou Village Song" Hundred Village Singing Competition not only invites villages to sing regularly and compete but also features a village song market, ethnic shows, and interactive group singing.
Lu Yanyu excitedly noted the changes: "We've translated Dong songs into Chinese and also composed new songs about rural revitalization, allowing more tourists to join in the interaction. Now, the stage at our doorstep is getting bigger, and our songs are reaching farther!"
Filling Wallets: Industry-Driven Prosperity
On weekends, the "Village Super League" field in Rongjiang County is buzzing with the 2026 Fourth Guizhou "Village Super League" competition. Outside the stadium, at the "Village Super League Market," Zhang Aizhen, an ice cream vendor, is just as busy. Since the "Village Super League" gained popularity, Zhang Aizhen and several other women from her village applied for free stalls to sell ice cream. While skillfully scooping toppings, she said excitedly, "Now, on every match day, I can sell over a hundred bowls of ice cream. We've also started making short videos and have already gained tens of thousands of followers. Short videos also bring in some income."
Faced with the surge in popularity, Rongjiang County did not take over the event. Instead, it focused on continuously improving infrastructure and enhancing security services, always leaving the stage to the people, preserving the most precious atmosphere of everyday life. Gao Song, deputy director of the Rongjiang County Village Super League Office, stated: "We adhere to the principle of everyone being a shareholder. The government acts as a 'service provider,' and the revenue from the 'Village Super League' brand is used to strengthen the village collective economy, support teams, cheerleading squads, and youth training." This inclusive income model has made the villagers' pockets fuller and their smiles brighter.
Now, from watermelon farmers and tofu-grilling aunties to homestay owners and handicraft vendors, everyone has become a beneficiary of the village-level events. Data shows that since the "Village Super League" began, Rongjiang County has seen the establishment of over 10,000 new business entities, directly driving employment for more than 23,000 people in the catering, accommodation, and retail sectors.
At the Western Horse Racing City in Sandu County, the 2026 "Guizhou Village Horse Racing" village league kicked off. On the sidelines, Shi Shaozhang, a well-known young rider in the county, enthusiastically introduced: "The Shui people have been with horses since ancient times and have the tradition of horse racing at the Duan Slope. But in the past, we only had a chance to race freely during the Duan Festival." Culture has become an industry, and joy has created value.
Since 2023, Sandu County has built a tournament system consisting of "daily village races + Duan Festival league + national invitational races," upgrading the once-a-year Duan Slope horse racing into the "Guizhou Village Horse Racing" with monthly events. They have also integrated intangible cultural heritage elements like Shui script customs, the Shui Duan Festival, and horse-tail embroidery into the entire event process. Seizing the opportunity, Shi Shaozhang not only actively participates in the "Village Horse Racing" events but also operates his own horse farm. Last year, he competed in 46 races and won over 60 awards. "Now, I have three apprentices, and a dozen fellow villagers are learning horse breeding from me," Shi said proudly.
"'Village Horse Racing' has turned into a big industry!" Wei Lina, director of the Sandu County Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau, did the math: Currently, the county has over 4,200 horses, seven large-scale horse breeding farms, five research and learning bases, and a jockey school that has trained over 240 students. In 2025, "Village Horse Racing" drove a total tourism revenue of 6.1 billion yuan in the county, a 21% year-on-year increase.
Enriching Minds: New Vitality in Rural Areas
As the sound of the lusheng (reed-pipe wind instrument) fills the air and silver ornaments gently sway, a 50-meter-long wind-rain bridge in the Miao-Dong Ethnic Park in Kaili City transforms into a runway. Miao aunties holding their granddaughters' hands, Dong men carrying hoes, and tourists wearing batik jackets all take to the stage of "Village T." "There are no barriers, regardless of ethnicity or profession. Everyone has a chance to appear on stage," said Yang Li, the operator of "Village T" and a Guizhou tourism promoter, pointing to the stage.
In the summer of 2024, Kaili City launched a "fashion show for the people," drawing on its rich ethnic cultural resources. At first, few were willing to sign up. "Everyone thought their homemade clothes were rustic and not stylish. But once on stage, they became an online hit," Yang Li recalled. "One show after another, the villagers' steps became more fluid, and their confidence showed on their faces." Now, "Village T" has held over 960 shows, with online views exceeding 17 billion times.
"Village T" has not only created a stage for people to shine but also provided opportunities for over 300 embroiderers. At the Embroidery Market in the Kaili Miao-Dong Ethnic Park, Miao embroiderer Pan Yuzhen, while skillfully sewing, smiled at the tourists: "Now, the butterflies and flowers we embroider have 'flown' out of the mountains. Young people are also coming to learn the craft. I have to keep up with the times. Look at these earrings, pendants, and ornaments—these cultural and creative products are both traditional and fashionable!"
From the passionate cheers of villagers at the "Village Super League" to the genuine smiles on and off the "Village T" stage, Guizhou's village-level events continue to inspire the spirit of farmers, enhance the cultural confidence of grassroots people, and transform rural customs.
As a cool breeze blows, Lu Zhongjian, the owner of a homestay in Shanbao Community, Jiuba Town, Tongzi County, invites his guests: "Come on, let's go check out the 'Village Gala!'" On the way, he told the reporter: "These guests have come all the way from Chongqing and Sichuan. Tourists like them are now the main customers for our homestays." At the village square, as the lights come on, Wang Gang, deputy secretary of the Shanbao Community Party General Branch, pointed to the packed audience: "In the past, people had nothing to do at night and would often play cards and drink. Drinking often led to fights and disputes." "Now, who has time for that? Everyone is busy rehearsing and preparing shows," he said, looking at the performance on stage. "The county has built a professional stage and continuously upgraded the lights and sound. Retired teachers from Chongqing teach everyone how to play the erhu (two-stringed fiddle), and dance volunteers from Chengdu lead the aunties in square dancing. After learning so much, the villagers have developed some skills, and their artistic quality has greatly improved."
As night deepens, the songs continue to float from the drum tower in Zhaoxing Dong Village, with tourists and villagers sitting in a circle, singing together. The air at the "Village Super League" market is filled with the smell of cooking, as fans leaving the stadium wander from stall to stall. The lights at the "Village BA" court are still on, with children running up and down the court, dribbling and shooting with skill. Laughter echoes through the mountains and waters of Guizhou, lighting up the nights belonging to these village-level events and weaving the warmest and most touching backdrop of the magnificent picture of Chinese-style modernization. And tomorrow, even more exciting content will take the stage.
Insights from a People-Centered Approach to Wealth and Joy
"Concepts like 'super league' and 'BA' are imported, but they have become part of Guizhou's local culture. This transformation is rooted in the grassroots nature of Guizhou's village-level events," said Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, summarizing the core characteristics of these events. "First, the role of the masses as the main subject. The events are spontaneously organized and managed by the villagers, with the government only providing services. The masses are both participants and decision-makers, full of genuine local vitality. Second, the integration of local culture and modern entertainment. During halftime, instead of cheerleaders, there are Miao lusheng performances, Dong Grand Songs, and ethnic costume parades. Competition and entertainment blend together, creating an atmosphere unlike other cultural and sports activities. Third, bottom-up communication. 'Village BA' and 'Village Super League' were not packaged by the government; they were 'played' by the villagers themselves, and their influence was amplified through the internet."
Guizhou has long been a province with a large number of migrant workers. Since the rise of village-level events, many locals have started small businesses or opened homestays at home, transforming from "workers" into "entrepreneurs." They have found joy in participating in these events and increased their income through that joy. Over twenty years ago, Guizhou pioneered the "Four in the Countryside" initiative, which focused on wealth, learning, joy, and beauty in rural areas, becoming a nationally influential rural development brand. In the new era, the flourishing of Guizhou's village-level events is both consistent with the pursuit of the "Four in the Countryside" and carries richer connotations and broader influence.
"In promoting the synchronous resonance of people's wealth and joy, the local party committees and governments have adhered to being 'present but not taking the lead,' completely leaving the stage to the masses. This modest approach of 'setting the stage without performing' abandons short-sighted, quick-fix behaviors and demonstrates respect for the people's central position. By building an inclusive income model and a mechanism for shared benefits, it both fills the people's pockets and preserves local culture. This approach of advancing material prosperity and spiritual enrichment together precisely grasps the quality and texture of people's livelihoods," said Song Xiaohong, a professor at Guizhou Normal University.
The central theme running through village-level events is the modernization of the people—not just the improvement of infrastructure and industrial upgrades, but also the comprehensive enhancement of people's spiritual outlook, values, and capabilities. On the stage of village-level events, farmers become confident protagonists, and villages become active subjects. Relying on these village-level events, Guizhou has explored a model of diverse co-governance involving government guidance, popular decision-making, market operations, and social participation, with continuously improving public satisfaction. "This teaches us that true political achievements lie in the warmth of thousands of homes and the upward curve of people's smiles. Only by doing everything for the people, relying on the people, benefiting the people, and ensuring that the path of development withstands the test of history can we paint a magnificent picture of mutual enhancement between material and spiritual civilization on the journey toward shared prosperity," Song Xiaohong concluded.