GUIYANG, China, March 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from CNS:
Shining on the Global Stage In recent years, a series of vibrant rural-themed "village" events in Guizhou, a province in southwest China, have gained immense popularity at home and abroad. Events such as the "Village Super League" football tournament, "Village BA" basketball game, "Village Marathon", "Village Spring Festival Gala", "Village Fashion Show" and "Village Dance Festival" have gone viral, emerging as new calling cards showcasing the vitality of China’s rural areas and ethnic cultures, and letting the world witness the unique charm of colorful Guizhou.
Top photo: Guizhou’s "Village Fashion Show". Photographed by Wu Daping. Bottom photo: A scene from the "Village BA" basketball game in Congjiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. Photographed by Yang Xiaobo.
Guizhou is one of China’s major multi-ethnic provinces, where ethnic groups including the Miao, Dong, Buyi and Shui have lived for generations, creating a rich array of intangible cultural heritages such as Miao embroidery, batik and the Grand Song of the Dong people. Its profound ethnic cultural heritage and unique mountain scenery have provided a fertile ground for the rise of these "village-themed" cultural activities. In recent years, on the basis of protecting ethnic cultures, Guizhou has gradually upgraded and cultivated the cultural and sports activities initiated by the general public, transforming them from rural events into cultural brands with international influence.
Among them, the Rongjiang "Village Super League" football tournament in Guizhou has attracted particular attention. Since its launch in 2023, the tournament has welcomed more than 1,700 players from 62 countries including France, Argentina and Brazil for exchanges, received a total of 27.5 million tourists, and generated a comprehensive tourism income of 31.2 billion RMB. A rural football match has not only gathered football fans from all over the country but also driven the simultaneous development of supporting activities such as ethnic song and dance performances and characteristic food fairs, achieving in-depth integration of sports, culture and tourism.
Meanwhile, events like the "Village BA" and "Village Marathon" have flourished. Rural basketball games are integrated with traditional Miao festivals, and the traditional horse racing custom of the Shui people’s Duan Festival has been innovatively developed into the "Village Marathon" brand, attracting numerous tourists to experience it. Today, events such as the "Village Spring Festival Gala", "Village Fashion Show" and "Village Dance Festival" have also been launched one after another, integrating ethnic costumes and traditional song and dance with modern fashion to form a diverse matrix of rural culture.
With the growing popularity of "village-themed" events, Guizhou’s rural cultural and tourism industry has ushered in new opportunities. Ethnic handicrafts and characteristic agricultural products are entering broader markets through tournaments and online platforms, rural homestays and farm stays are booming, and more and more villagers are finding employment and increasing their income right at their doorsteps. From mountain villages to the international stage, Guizhou’s "village-themed" events are taking sports and culture as bonds to tell the new story of China’s rural revitalization, and attracting more and more tourists from home and abroad to step into Guizhou and experience its colorful ethnic culture and rural vitality.
