Xi to attend welcome ceremony hosted by Tajik President Rahmon

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend a welcome ceremony hosted by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon at the Palace of the Nation in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, on Friday.

Xi landed in Dushanbe on Thursday evening after attending the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, and after paying a state visit to Kazakhstan.

This is Xi's third visit to Tajikistan, with the previous two visits conducted in 2014 and 2019 respectively.

Highly spirited village football and basketball tournaments are heating up in southwest China's Guizhou Province, attracting tourists from across the nation and beyond to immerse themselves in authentic ethnic culture and sports excitement.

Two rural sports federations -- the Village Super League (VSL) and the Village Basketball Association (VBA) -- started from grassroots initiatives and won the hearts of the nation as well as government support. More than mere sports leagues, they have become catalysts for economic growth and cultural celebration, igniting a wave of rural revitalization through tourism and community engagement.

The VSL is in full swing in the province's Rongjiang County, a rural area largely populated by members of the Miao and Dong ethnic minorities. Despite the rain, spectators were thrilled during the "Super Saturday" event that brought a variety of ethnic performances alongside the football matches.

"I came from Chongqing. The atmosphere is incredibly enthusiastic. Everyone feels inspired," said tourist Ms. Liu.

"I came from Shenzhen, Guangdong. I arrived here today and felt deeply connected both as a fan and spectator. I was so thrilled that my hands even went numb," said Mr. Fu, another tourist.

While the sports matches attract visitors, the real strategic impact unfolds off the field. Events like international invitation games and gourmet competitions draw tourists from across China and abroad to Guizhou.

Local authorities are promoting a "super economy" covering food, accommodation, transportation, and travel, fostering integrated development of rural culture, sports, tourism, and business, thus enriching local livelihoods.

"The Village Super League aims to foster a joyful economy, The core of the league is rural revitalization and promoting high-quality development within our county. Based on Rongjiang County's advantages in ethnic, culinary, and ecological cultures, we are leveraging strategic tools in the digital economy era, such as new media, to create the Village Super League brand, using football as a medium and culture as content to drive economic activities,” said Xu Bo, mayor of Rongjiang County.

Since the league's precipitous rise following its founding in 2023, the local hospitality sector has flourished, with hotels, inns, and rural guesthouses sprouting up rapidly. Bed capacities have doubled to over 10,000 in the county since the tournament's inception.

Rongjiang has also seen a surge of over 3,600 new businesses, including catering services, boosting market vitality. Over 132 brand authorizations for the VSL have attracted six major Chinese food and beverage companies to invest locally.

In addition to football, Rongjiang County is expanding its influence in schools with initiatives like the "Class Super League" and youth training systems. The county plans to launch a "Belt and Road Initiative" version of VSL tournaments in 2026 to further promote football culture.

"The core goal of the Village Super League is to create a platform of joy. First, we start by competing among ourselves, then invite people from across the nation to join us, and finally extend the invitation globally. This approach forms a dynamic platform and brand that fosters mutual empowerment and web traffic," said Mayor Xu.

Besides Rongjiang's football mania, the VBA in the nearby Taijiang County has garnered significant attention, with tournaments underway in the county's Taipan Village.

Since going viral in summer 2022, various grassroots basketball tournaments have thrived in Taijiang. This year, 25 provincial basketball associations competed in preliminary rounds, culminating in the finals to be hosted in the county from September to November.

In addition to on-site spectators, the VBA has captured significant online attention through live streaming of matches, highlight reels, and behind-the-scenes footage, sustaining high levels of enthusiasm.

Local initiatives to develop innovative filming techniques and improve media dissemination continue to generate online buzz. Currently, the VBA's online viewership has surpassed 60 billion views.

2024 marks the third year of explosive growth for VBA in the region, with efforts focused on converting web traffic into economic development.

Taijiang County alone has welcomed over 2 million visitors since summer 2022, generating tourism revenue exceeding 2.3 billion yuan (over 316 million U.S. dollars).

Locally, the VBA brand continues to thrive with experiential shops, tea shops, restaurants, and over 100 cultural and creative products. Popular items like "Village Baby" dolls and basketballs featuring Miao embroidery patterns are a hit among fans and tourists alike.

Today, cultural and sports activities under the banner of the dual federations are thriving in Guizhou, driving integrated development across agriculture, culture, sports, and tourism.