Just how big can the "Village Basketball Association" become? Even hoops legend Yao Ming says he's not sure if he can get a seat.

“乡村篮球协会”到底能有多大?就连篮球传奇人物姚明也表示，他不确定自己是否能买到座位

The popularity of this year's "Village BA" was evidenced by the sold-out crowds that packed into the 30,000-capacity stands over the weekend at Taipan village in Southwest China's Guizhou province.

贵州省黔东南州台江县台盘乡台盘村的一项“乡村BA”火了。周末期间，可容纳3万人的看台座无虚席。

The two-day event attracted fans from across the nation to the tiny village, which has a population of about 1,200. Media also descended on Taipan, with national broadcaster cctv.com even providing a live feed. The finals captured the imagination of netizens on Chinese social media, with the hashtags "Guizhou Village BA finals" and "People in the stands at Village BA are not photoshopped" viewed over 65 million and 14 million times respectively on Weibo by Monday afternoon.

为期两天的活动，吸引了来自全国各地的粉丝来到这个人口约1200人的小村庄。媒体也纷纷来到这里，中央电视台甚至提供了现场直播。总决赛在中国社交媒体上引发了网友们的无限遐想，截至3月27日下午，微博上“贵州台盘总决赛”和“台盘看台上的人都没有ps过”的话题点击量分别超过6500万次和1400万次。

Four teams contested this year's finals, which tipped off on Saturday. A torrential downpour forced the championship game to be rescheduled to Monday afternoon when Team Qiandongnan prevailed 68-65 against Team Zunyi. On Sunday, Team Tongren overcame Team Bijie 57-50 to finish third.

今年的总决赛已于3月25日揭晓，四支队伍参加了角逐。一场倾盆大雨迫使冠军赛改在3月27日下午进行，最终黔东南队以68比65战胜遵义队。3月26日，铜仁队以57比50战胜毕节队，获得第三名。

With the teams comprised of amateur players mostly hailing from local villages and nearby cities, spectators flocked from all over the country to soak up the festival-like atmosphere. Apart from the action, fans enjoyed pre- and post-match parties, local markets serving food and snacks and music and dance performances that showcased local culture.

这些球队大多由来自当地村庄和附近城市的业余球员组成，观众从全国各地涌来，沉浸在节日般的气氛中。除了比赛，球迷们还享受了赛前和赛后的派对，包括当地市场提供的食物和小吃，以及展示当地文化的音乐和舞蹈表演。

Chinanews.com reported that — based on search statistics from multiple online platforms —demand for hotels, restaurants and markets in Taipan was 11 times higher than the week before the tournament.

据中新网报道，根据多个在线平台的搜索数据，台盘的酒店、餐厅和市场需求比赛前一周高出了11倍。

Over the weekend, tourist bookings at Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, where Taipan is located, were up over 140 percent compared with the same time last year.

上周末，台盘所在的黔东南苗族侗族自治州的游客预订量与去年同期相比增长了140%以上。

"Our hotels are fully booked. On the day the match schedule was revealed, all the rooms were instantly snapped up," said Zhang Shourun, who runs a hotel with about 30 rooms in Taipan.

Zhang Shouru在台盘经营着一家约30个房间的酒店，他说： “我们的酒店都订满了。比赛日程公布当天，所有的房间都被抢购一空，”

"Hotel rooms are highly sought for match days. Each year our rooms are fully booked during the tournament, but I keep the price at the same level. I can't just raise prices because of the Village BA. It would damage the reputation of Taipan people."

张说：“在比赛日，酒店房间非常抢手。每年比赛期间，我们的房间都被订满了，但我把价格保持在同一水平。我不能因为乡村BA就涨价。这将损害台盘人的声誉。”

But the most coveted spaces in Taipan are courtside. Hours before matches begin, spectators pour into the stands to enjoy performances by local dancers and various cultural activities. If you dare leave your spot for a minute, forget getting it back. Spectators thus go to great lengths to hang onto their vantage points.

台盘最令人垂涎的地方是场边。在比赛开始前几个小时，观众会涌向看台，欣赏当地舞者的表演和各种文化活动。如果你敢离开你的位置一分钟，忘了它回来。因此，观众们会竭尽全力抓住自己的有利位置。

"Many people even wear adult diapers so they can sit for hours in the stands. If you go to use the bathroom, your spot will be taken by others," said Xie Lingchu, who runs a shop in the village.

在村里开商店的Xie Lingchu说。“许多人甚至穿着成人尿布，这样他们就可以在看台上坐上几个小时。因为如果你去上厕所，位置就会被别人占据，”

"Items like small portable chairs and portable chargers are all hot commodities. To ensure the best view from the stands, some even buy herringbone ladders in my shop. And of course, snacks and beverages are the most popular items."

“像小型便携式椅子和便携式充电器都是热门商品。另外，为了确保看台上观看效果好，有些人甚至在我的店里买了人字形梯子。当然，零食和饮料还是最受欢迎的商品。”

Village BA is about as grassroots as sports get, with matches originating from the local Chi Xin Festival, a harvest celebration on June 6 of the lunar calendar. As part of the festival, locals would organize pick-up games until the action gradually assumed a more formal tournament structure.

BA村的体育运动是最草根的，比赛在农历六月六的“赤心节”举行，这是当地庆祝丰收的节日。作为节日的一部分，当地人会组织即兴比赛，直到活动逐渐呈现出更正式的比赛结构。

Since 2016, the local government has done its part to support grassroots basketball development. In 2021, Guizhou province launched the "Gorgeous Countryside" campaign, which promotes development in rural China via culture, tourism and sports. A rural basketball league was also included in the campaign, and Taipan village was chosen as a regular host for matches.

自2016年以来，当地政府为支持基层篮球发展尽了自己的一份力。2021年，贵州省启动了“美丽乡村”活动，通过文化、旅游和体育促进中国农村的发展。农村篮球联赛也被包括在运动中，台盘村被选为比赛的常规举办地。

Last year, videos of the games in Taipan went viral on social media, leading netizens to dub the tournament the "Village Basketball Association". This year, the first edition of the "Village BA" finals were staged in Taipan, now considered something of a shrine for grassroots Chinese hoops.

2022年，台盘男篮比赛的视频在社交媒体上疯传，网友们称该赛事为“乡村篮协”。今年，第一届“乡村BA”总决赛在台盘举行，这里现在被认为是中国草根篮球的圣地。

"It's not an easy job to organize such an event. All the efforts paid off, and the deafening sound of people's cheers is the best reward," said Liu Shangbo, a local sports official who has been stationed in Taipan for over a week.

当地体育官员Liu Shangbo已经在台盘驻扎了一个多星期，他说：“组织这样的活动不是一件容易的事情。人们震耳欲聋的欢呼声就是我们努力最好的回报，”

"We attract more and more tourists, and the facilities here are improving all the time. Everything is on the up here. The event is helping the development of the village and it motivates more people to embrace sports."

他还表示：“我们吸引了越来越多的游客，这里的设施也在不断改善。所有东西都在上面。这项赛事有助于村庄的发展，并激励更多人参与体育运动。”

Herringbone

英 [ˈherɪŋbəʊn]   美  [ˈherɪŋboʊn]

adj. 人字形的

Deafening

英 [ˈdefnɪŋ]   美  [ˈdefnɪŋ]

adj. 震耳欲聋的