The 2026 National Rural and Beautiful Village Basketball Tournament (Village BA) Northern Division commenced on August 15 in Baoqing County, Shuangyashan City, Heilongjiang Province, at Baoshan Town's Jianshe Village. Sixteen teams and over 200 athletes from 10 provinces, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Shandong, gathered in Baoqing to compete and make friends through the sport.
“Upon arriving in Baoqing, my first impression was awe. I never expected a county-level city in Northeast China to host such a high-level national competition. The clean courts, thoughtful logistics, and the warm hospitality of the locals were truly heartwarming,” said a player from the Shandong team. A player from the Inner Mongolia team added that Baoqing's urban and rural environment is clean and tidy, the black soil landscape is magnificent, and the accommodation and food services are considerate and comprehensive, leaving the entire team looking forward to the upcoming matches.
The tournament is scheduled to last six days, featuring 36 intense games across six rounds. By August 20, the top five teams from the Northern Division will be determined and will advance to the national finals, where they will compete against the top five teams from the Central and Southern Divisions, as well as the host team of the finals. According to the overall event plan, the Central Division, Southern Division, and national finals will be held in September and October in Xingwen County, Yibin City, Sichuan Province; Shanglin County, Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; and Xianfeng County, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province, respectively.
Adhering to the "Farmers as the Main Body, Rural Areas as the Home Ground" positioning, Baoqing County has moved beyond a single-event mindset to build a diversified integration matrix of "sports + agriculture + culture + tourism." This approach aims to transform the tournament's traffic into tangible development gains. During the event, the "Black Soil Premium Products" Harvest Market was bustling, showcasing local agricultural products and specialty foods. An exhibition of Heilongjiang's rural construction photography was also held, capturing the transformation of the province's rural revitalization through images. The Summer Culture and Arts Festival featured daytime interactions and nighttime special performances, showcasing original local folk programs. The "Follow the Village BA to Tour Baoqing" initiative introduced premium tourism routes, simultaneously distributing cultural tourism consumption vouchers to effectively channel the event's popularity and continuously stimulate new momentum in cultural tourism consumption.
The tournament is guided by the Department of Rural Social Affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, supported by the Mass Sports Department of the General Administration of Sport of China, and organized by the China Farmers' Sports Association, the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau, and the Shuangyashan Municipal People's Government. It is hosted by the Baoqing County People's Government, with technical support from the Chinese Basketball Association.