In May 2023, a small county in southwestern Guizhou Province on the Chinese mainland, Rongjiang, burst onto the national scene with an unexpected football fever. Players on the field ranged from bricklayers and butchers to college graduates who had returned home. On the sidelines, villagers waved fragrant rice, miniature pigs and mountain lambs as they cheered under colorful Miao and Dong costumes, their folk songs and dances igniting the stands.
This was the Village Super League, also known as Cun Chao—a grassroots sports festival entirely organized by local villagers. Far from a polished pro game, its rustic charm and genuine joy captured headlines and imaginations across the nation.
Meanwhile, village galas have been sweeping rural areas, turning Spring Festival stages into open-air theaters of everyday life. Farmers swap hoes for microphones, performing ancestral folk songs and field-to-table stories that resonate with authenticity and a deep connection to the land.
Both events shine a spotlight on China’s rural revitalization. Under the Green Rural Revival Program of the 14th Five-Year Plan, nearly 10,000 villages are being renovated, with 1,000 central villages transformed into models of moderate prosperity. These festivals embody the belief that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."
Strong local industries provide the foundation for cultural vitality. In 2024, domestic trips on the Chinese mainland reached 5.615 billion, a 14.8 percent year-on-year increase, driven largely by rural tourism. Rongjiang county alone welcomed over 9.46 million visitors, generating more than 10.8 billion yuan (about 1.51 billion U.S. dollars). From homestays and street markets to live-streaming sales of local rice and luo han guo fruit, tourism has sparked sustainable economic momentum.
By weaving football, ethnic culture and local specialties into a single tapestry, these village-led festivals have transformed spectator traffic into tangible growth, signaling a new height in building beautiful, harmonious countryside on the Chinese mainland.
Reference(s):
How Cun Chao & village galas show new heights in rural revitalization
cgtn.com
