Guizhou village soccer tournament proves big hit

Spectators from the Yao ethnic group in Rongjiang county, Guizhou province, perform a traditional dance and music before entering the county stadium before a soccer match of the "Village Super League" in June. [Photo provided for China Daily]

The "Village Super League", or cunchao in Chinese, an ongoing grassroots soccer tournament in Rongjiang county of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture in Guizhou province, has become a hot topic recently in China.

Since the opening of the tournament on May 13, a total of 20 teams of local people have been playing for the honor of their villages, making the stadium a happy gathering place for local residents and visitors during weekends.

Thanks to its down-to-earth style, festive atmosphere and rich ethnic cultural elements, as well as the players' frequent surprise goal-scoring performances and the sheer passion of both the players and spectators, video clips of the matches have gone viral on social media.

Organized and participated by local soccer fans, the grassroots tournament has attracted players from all walks of life, such as farmers, vendors, small business owners, construction workers and excavator drivers. They also come from various ethnic groups such as Miao, Dong, Shui, Han and Yao.

Divided into two groups, the teams compete on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with the final scheduled for July 29.

The tournament has become a source of cultural pride in Rongjiang, which is home to 15 ethnic groups, with ethnic minorities making up more than 83 percent of its 385,000 population.

Before matches, each team's cheerleading squad, dressed in traditional ethnic costumes, carry local specialties on their shoulders, play reed pipes and dance as they enter the field together with the players. During halftime breaks, villagers in ethnic costumes sing folk songs and dance.

"This is a soccer carnival deeply rooted in the soil!" Han Qiaosheng, a Chinese sports TV commentator, said on June 3 during an on-site commentary at a match, which attracted nearly 50,000 spectators.

"I've covered numerous sports events, including the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. But it is really the first time that I have experienced such a down-to-earth and lively scene as this," he said.

Since the tournament has become so popular that each match might attract more than 10,000 spectators, Xu Bo, head of Rongjiang county, always goes to the games after work.

"The event was organized and participated by the villagers themselves. However, with its increasing influence, the government must pay great attention to providing more and better services and guarantee security to ensure its success," he said.

The tournament has also had a positive impact on the local economy. During the tournament, Rongjiang is actively promoting catering, accommodation, tourism and other industries to broaden the channels for local people to increase their incomes.

"After the final on July 29, we will launch a national 'Village Super League' invitational tournament. We will welcome food-themed soccer teams such as the Zibo barbecue team and Liuzhou luosifen (river snail rice noodles) team to compete against our Rongjiang juanfen (rice starch roll) team," said Xu.