In many villages in Wenchang, in the evening, farmers, vegetable sellers, shopkeepers, and people who have finished their day’s work come to the volleyball court one after another, and “fight fiercely” until late at night.
“Every village has a court and plays volleyball every day” is enough to explain the volleyball atmosphere in Wenchang’s countryside. Not only in Wenchang, but nine-a-side volleyball is very popular in villages all over Hainan: for a game, players travel more than ten kilometers by bicycle to attend an appointment; without too much publicity, villagers from all over the world come to watch…
This summer, as the Hainan team composed of amateur players won the championship in China’s first men’s nine-man volleyball elite competition, and several rural volleyball leagues were held successively, Hainan’s “Village VA” broke into more people’s vision.
Is the popular Hainan “Village VA” just a ball game? Through the “village VA”, we can see that the nine-a-side volleyball game in Hainan’s countryside has become a link to enhance nostalgia, a carrier to retain nostalgia, and a starting point for rural revitalization.
Strengthen the bond of nostalgia
When is the village most populated? “Except for Chinese New Year and holidays, there are volleyball matches.” This is the answer given by Xu Feng, a villager in Dongli Village, Dongjiao Town, Wenchang City.
There is a popular saying in Hainan, “Hainan volleyball looks at Wenchang, Wenchang volleyball looks at the eastern suburbs”. The local volleyball atmosphere is strong. Not only can you see villagers sweating on the volleyball court almost every day, but you can even see children or young guys in the village finding an open space, drawing boundaries on the sand with their feet, and playing mahjong. A rope or net is hung between two parallel coconut trees, and a few people start a “friendly match” barefoot and shirtless.
A country court in Dongge Township, Wenchang, players from Dongge Township played a volleyball match with a visiting team from another township.Photo by Hainan Daily reporter Luo Anming
In the countryside, holding volleyball matches is not just for a showdown, but also a means of enriching the lives of the masses. The lively sports events not only strengthen the villagers’ physique, enrich their leisure time, but also build an interactive bridge between villages and people.
On the court, the players received, passed, and spiked the ball, and everyone forged a deep friendship in the rounds of rounds and mutual exchanges between games. Off the court, the folks who watched the game gathered three floors inside and three floors outside. Everyone gathered together to cheer for the team they supported and applaud the wonderful game. Village affairs. The volleyball court has become a stage for players to show themselves, and also a platform for fellow villagers to enhance communication and friendship.
In the eyes of the village cadres of Dongli Village, “the volleyball game is like a rope that binds the villagers together, making the villagers more united.”
carrier of nostalgia
With the development of rural sports competitions, volleyball is not only a game for the countryside, but also a carrier of nostalgia, which connects the feelings of the villagers who go out and their hometown.
Take Xu Feng as an example. Although he has left his hometown to go out to work now, he never feels far away from his hometown. As a “post-80s”, he watched the village grandparents play volleyball since he was a child, and imitated the adults to kick the ball and smash. Today, in his spare time, he still plays volleyball to release his unchanging love for volleyball. Whenever there is a chance, I will go back to the village to watch and play games.
As a sport loved by rural people, volleyball has become a rope that binds the villagers and their hometown. This point can also be truly felt in Yandong Village, Yanfeng Town, Haikou City.
Fu Shenglin, secretary of the village’s party branch, said that before the “May 1st” this year, the village held a volleyball league. At the same time, the villagers are also actively participating in the improvement of the living environment, hoping to show the new look of the village through volleyball games and attract more tourists to this beautiful village.
A Hainanese villager who “climbs a tree on the wall” to watch a volleyball match.Photo by Hainan Daily reporter Su Qingming
Not only that, the “grassroots” players who came out of the countryside also used their energy to feed back their hometown and help the development of sports in their hometown.
At the volleyball training ground of Wenchang Middle School, the head coach Zhu Wenxin leads the players to train hard every day. After graduating from university, Zhu Wenxin gave up higher-paying jobs outside the province and chose to return to Wenchang Middle School to teach. “I hope that Wenchang volleyball will develop better and better, and I also hope that Hainan volleyball will become more famous and go further. It feels worthwhile to contribute my own strength.” He said.
The starting point of rural revitalization
“Village VA” is on fire, but how can we make this fire burn more vigorously, make “Village VA” a starting point to promote rural revitalization, and turn the development vitality brought by sports into real gains in the pockets of villagers ?
In this regard, Guizhou “Village BA” has already demonstrated——
According to relevant reports from CCTV News, after Guizhou’s “Village BA” became popular, it attracted many young people to return to their hometowns to start businesses and engage in tourism and sports.
For example, driven by young people, the first “Village BA” offline experience store opened in the village. The mascot “Village Baby” developed by a cultural and creative team composed of young people in the village incorporates the Miao elements of the village, and the batik wristbands, hairbands and Miao embroidery fully demonstrate the local characteristics. On the first day of the opening of the “Village BA” offline experience store, special cultural and creative products such as mascot dolls, basketballs, and team uniforms sold more than 5,000 yuan.
“Village BA” official offline experience store. (Picture from Tianyan News)
At present, the tourism products related to Hainan’s “village VA” have yet to be designed, and cultural and creative products are still waiting to be discovered. A staff member of a travel agency in Wenchang City believes that although Wenchang volleyball is quite famous, it is still not enough to attract young people to return to their hometowns to engage in tourism and sports with volleyball alone.
The reason is that many rural competitions are spontaneous and do not connect sports events and tourism. There is no fixed event, which leads to the integration of rural volleyball and rural tourism to develop special tourism products. level is difficult to achieve.
This is the short board of “Village VA”, but also a huge space for the development of “Village VA”. Right now, with the support of the government, the prospect of “Village VA” is even more worth looking forward to. For example, the 2023 “Ninety-Nine Cup” Hainan (Wenchang) Township Volleyball League, which will be held on June 30, will be combined with rural tourism to form “sports + tourism”. This new attempt will also promote sports events Inject more vitality into the revitalization of Hainan’s countryside.
Original Title: Hainan “Village VA” Series② | Hainan “Village VA”, is it just a ball game?
Responsible Editor: Fu Jinhua