Grassroots volleyball gets national attention, aids rural revitalization
Hainan Island, sometimes called the “Hawaii of China,” is attracting attention of late for more than its tourist attractions and native coconuts.
The province’s unique brand of village volleyball has become something of an online sensation. Last week, a short video of one game, filmed by China Central TV and aired on the social media platform Weibo, was viewed more than 60,000 times.
What’s so special about the grassroots volleyball matches? Expect to see a barefoot player or one using a stool in a serve. And look at fans climbing up trees to watch the game.
“We Hainanese like rural games where we can find a seat anywhere and watch for free,” 24-year-old Chen Guan, who used to be a player with the Hainan University volleyball team, told Shanghai Daily.
After graduation, he returned home to the township of Jinshan in the city of Wenchang to play for the village team.
“Wenchang has a population of 500,000, and there are more than 6,000 volleyball courts,” Chen said. “Almost every village has a court and everyone knows how to play. Our team has people from all walks of life: students, teachers, deliverymen. There is no set time for training. We do that anytime we are free.”
Indeed, it’s not uncommon to find the team practicing in the wee hours of the morning.
Township games are often held on basic courts. For instance, in some villages, games are played under coconut groves or on the beach, across a fishing net supported by two bamboo poles. In one local volleyball league, 20 township men’s teams are competing in a nine-a-side volleyball tournament which runs until next month. The amateur players include local farmers, fishermen and students, ranging in ages from 15 to 59.
Wang Guangping, a sports influencer on the short-video platform Douyin, has been livestreaming Hainan’s township volleyball matches for more than half a year.
“Many Hainanese first play volleyball in primary school,” he told Shanghai Daily. “I have been playing volleyball since I was a pupil.”
Wang said such grassroots matches are popular, friendly and down-to-earth.
In the past half a year, he said he has recorded many touching scenes with his camera.
“I saw people who played so hard that they collapsed to the ground,” he said. “I’ve filmed players who get up after injuries and play on for the glory of their teams. Fans are passionate.”
The popularity of rural volleyball in Hainan rests on a history of more than a century, since the sport was first introduced to Wenchang in the early 20th century.
Different from the six-a-side volleyball in international competitions, Hainan mainly plays nine-a-side volleyball. Due to the increase in the number of players, the game has developed its own style and tactics.
Matches often take place in the evening, after people have finished a day’s work, and can extend late into the night.
Volleyball also features prominently in local festivals. Fans sometimes bicycle more than 10 kilometers to watch a match. Finding a seat is never a problem. If necessary, people improvise, sometimes resorting to trees or shed roofs to get a good view of the action.
Shen Qiong, head coach of the Shanghai Men’s Volleyball Team, arrived in Hainan to watch the games.
“Here, the general public understands volleyball well, and the enthusiastic atmosphere reminds me of the Olympic Games,” he said. “I would like to see this level of passion for the game spread across China.”
Slowly, it is.
In Hunan Province, the city of Changde has become the first to initiate a community volleyball league, with 32 teams competing.
In Guizhou Province, the capital city of Guiyang hosted a volleyball league in April and has invited volleyball amateurs from across China to participate in an invitational tournament next month.
Such country sports dovetail nicely with China’s national fitness campaign and its rural revitalization strategy. In addition to volleyball, basketball and football also feature in local sports programs.
By the end of June, online views of football matches in one Guizhou town reached more than 20 billion, according to Xinhua news agency.
This rural “super league” even drew the attention of football legend Michael Owen, who recorded a video expressing his support for such events.
“I’m sure you’re gonna get better and better,” Owen told the teams.
The central government will “vigorously develop rural sports,” according to a statement from the General Administration of Sport of China, an office of the China Central Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
It said rural sports not only promote local health and enrich rural culture, but also help rural reconstruction, empower agricultural development and stimulate rural tourism.
However, hurdles remain. Sports facilities are insufficient, local management skills rudimentary and some safety risks unaddressed.
Last year, one netizen posted a message to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development expressing the hope that more funds will be allocated to less developed rural regions for sports facilities.
“These sports are very important to the health of our next generations, and I hope our nation will pay attention to that,” the message said.