China News Service, Jiuquan, Gansu Province, June 13th (Reporter Li Yalong) On the evening of June 12th, the 2026 Snowy "Village BA" Football Championship in Subei Mongolian Autonomous County, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province kicked off at the county gymnasium.
This event with the theme of "Exploring Subei and Going to the Basket" will last until July 12. 24 teams and 280 athletes from 15 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) across the country will compete here.
On the evening of June 12, the 2026 Snowy “Village BA” Football Championship in Subei Mongolian Autonomous County, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province kicked off. Photo by Li Yalong
Subei County is located in the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains, with an average altitude of more than 2,000 meters. It is the only Mongolian autonomous county and border county in Gansu Province.
Subei County’s “village BA” has a distinct ethnic brand. At the opening ceremony that night, the event's exclusive mascot "Snow Leopard" became the focus as soon as it appeared. This cute snow mountain elf shuttled among the crowd, interacted with the audience to check in, and distributed cultural and creative gifts. The song and dance "Grassland Welcomes You" presented by Wulan Muqi from Subei County used smart dance and loud pastoral songs to send the blessings of the grassland to guests coming from afar.
On the evening of June 12, Ulan Muqi performed at the 2026 Snowy "Village BA" Football Championship in Subei Mongolian Autonomous County, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province. Photo by Li Yalong
After the opening ceremony, a cultural performance integrating intangible cultural heritage and technology, tradition and modernity pushed the atmosphere to a climax. The long and desolate Mongolian tune "Looking at the Mountains" is long and desolate, and the gorgeous national costumes fully demonstrate the cultural heritage of Subei; then the intelligent robots appeared on the stage, performing hip-hop dances and martial arts, and sharing the stage with the children's agile Mongolian dances. The traditional charm and the new trend of technology collided to create unique sparks.
"It's so lively! I didn't expect to see such a down-to-earth and professional basketball game on the snowy plateau." Zhang Yujun, a tourist who came from Dunhuang, Gansu Province to watch the opening ceremony, said, "I came here after seeing the news online. I just wanted to see what the basketball games were like in ethnic areas, but I was shocked by the atmosphere. The Ulan Muqi singing and dancing, the snow leopard mascot, and especially the robots participating in serving and dancing were impressive."
On the evening of June 12, intelligent robots performed Mongolian dance at the 2026 Snowy "Village BA" Football Championship in Subei Mongolian Autonomous County, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province. Photo by Li Yalong
The opening match will be played by the Subei Snowy Pioneers against the Anhui Hexian CL representative team. "We were paying attention to the 'Village BA' last year, and this year we finally have the opportunity to come to Subei to compete. The altitude and atmosphere here are brand-new challenges." said Meng Peng, a member of the Anhui He County CL team.
In recent years, Subei County has explored new ways to integrate culture, sports and tourism through the "Village BA" competition. During the event, the local government launched the "event + travel" package, allowing tourists to experience the snowy scenery in depth while watching the game.
Different from "Village BA" in other regions, the prizes in Subei competition are full of national characteristics. In addition to trophies, medals and certificates, the winning team will also receive special rewards with Mongolian style - including camels, yaks, snow-capped mountains horses, handmade silver bowls, etc.
It is reported that Subei County will also host a series of activities such as Naadam, National Shuttlecock Open, and National Goalball Exchange Tournament this year, continuing to transform "event traffic" into "increase in cultural tourism." (over)
