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Two outdoor basketball courts in a rural village in southwest China's Guizhou province recently became popular for holding games with a/an that rival the NBA. Over ten thousand spectators(观众) the courtside from morning to the next dawn and even at midnight, on their feet when there was a score, eating when hungry, and drinking home-made rice wine when thirsty. That's why people call the games held in the courts "CunBA," a nickname similar to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
Taipan village, in Taipan township, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous county of Guizhou, is home to the two standard basketball courts and has hosted the basketball match for decades. The annual basketball event is part of a traditional Miao ethnic harvest festival. The festival a series of traditional activities, including horse racing and traditional music performance.
Basketball games are the most attention-grabbing part of the festiva1. There was a unique opening ceremony. The games also had halftime shows by cheerleaders of Miao ethnic groups, as well as halftime shooting games. Equipment from the local bullfighting horns, gongs, drums, to even pans and basins was taken to the games for cheering. These all made the atmosphere totally comparable to that of professional games.
This year's tournament attracted 16 teams from villages to compete. Players primarily for honor, although there were some rural prizes too-a 650-kilogram cow for the winner, a pair of sheep for the runner-up and two piglets for the third-placed team.