Villagers Turn Cave Into Basketball Court in China

Residents of Xinchun Village, in Guizhou Province in southwestern China, struggled to build a new sports ground because of the rugged terrain, so they found a solution in a natural cave. The villagers, who live in the village under Bijie City, decided to turn a karst cave more than 60 meters high and 100 meters long into a sports facility instead of using the village's limited farmland.

The cave's rocky floor was not suitable for sports at first. Over years of collective work, the villagers leveled the base and, in some areas, raised the ground level by up to 8 meters. A basketball court measuring 28 meters long and 15 meters wide, built to international standards, was then constructed inside the cave.

Tiered stands with a capacity of about 1,000 spectators were placed around the court, and a stage was set up for community events. Thanks to the cave's natural structure, the facility stays cool in summer and is protected from the outside cold in winter. The court, unaffected by rain, snow and wind, can be used throughout the year. High rock walls and stalactites give matches a distinctive atmosphere.

The venue is used not only for sports matches but also for cultural festivals, concerts and village meetings. The facility has become one of the notable venues of the rural basketball culture spreading across China under the name Village BA, and it attracts visitors from within the country and abroad. The Xinchun project has also served as a model for similar cave courts in other mountainous areas of Guizhou Province.