Teams line up for the finals of the "Rendezvous in Zhejiang" Beautiful Countryside Basketball Tournament (Village BA) at Feng BA Basketball Gymnasium in Xinfeng town, Nanhu district of Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

The finals of the "Rendezvous in Zhejiang" Beautiful Countryside Basketball Tournament, locally dubbed "Village BA," opened on Sept 20 in Xinfeng town, Nanhu district of Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. The Feng BA Basketball Gymnasium, converted from a disused grain depot, opened the same day, becoming a new rural sports and cultural landmark.

The tournament takes place from Sept 18 to 23, with 12 village teams from Zhejiang vying for a berth in the national Village BA competition. The renovated venue spans over 5,100 square meters and preserves traces of the former grain depot while providing a new public fitness space.

The event integrates basketball with rural tourism and business, with village markets and cultural itineraries arranged around the venue. Since grassroots matches kicked off in May, over 5,000 Village BA games have taken place across Zhejiang, generating more than 50 million yuan ($7.47 million) in related consumption and boosting rural spending via sports and cultural activities.