Yesterday marked the reopening of a long-dormant grain station in Zhulin Village, Xinfeng Town, Nanhu District, now reborn as the "Feng BA Basketball Hall." After twenty years of vacancy, this historic structure, once central to local agricultural life, has been meticulously renovated into a modern professional sports venue. The transformation not only fills a gap for high-quality rural court facilities in the region but also positions the hall as the main venue for the 2026 Zhejiang Province "Xiang Yue Zhe Li" Beautiful Countryside Basketball Tournament (Provincial "Village BA") finals, set to host elite rural teams from across the province and further cementing Xinfeng's reputation in rural sports.
The original Zhulin grain station, spanning 8.95 mu with a building area of 2,247.6 square meters, had remained idle since the grain office's closure in 2005. To revitalize this underused asset, enhance rural cultural and sports amenities, and support the development of beautiful villages, Xinfeng Town invested approximately 25 million yuan in the renovation. The upgraded facility now boasts a total building area exceeding 5,000 square meters. "The renovated Feng BA Basketball Hall preserves distinctive features like the old red-sloped roofs, seamlessly integrating with the surrounding cultural auditorium, industrial parks, and rural waterways. This ensures the old granary retains its local heritage while injecting fresh vitality into mass fitness activities," noted a representative from Xinfeng Town.
With the new venue officially operational, the 2026 Zhejiang Provincial "Xiang Yue Zhe Li" Beautiful Countryside Basketball Tournament finals have landed in Xinfeng. Jointly organized by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau, the event will bring together 12 top rural teams at Zhulin Village for a high-stakes showdown. The arrival of this provincial-level competition and the completion of a dedicated arena are no coincidence—they are the culmination of Xinfeng's three-year commitment to sports development, which has consistently gained momentum and recognition.
The newly upgraded Feng BA Basketball Hall is slated to host its first major local event in October this year: the Fourth Xinfeng Town "Feng BA" Mass Basketball Tournament. Having evolved through three previous editions, "Feng BA" has grown from a grassroots street game into one of Xinfeng's most iconic cultural and sports brands, with expanding scale, rising participation, and growing social impact year after year. In 2023, the inaugural event took off with games on open-air courts in villages and enterprises, featuring 24 teams and over 300 local players in 40 fiercely contested matches, igniting a town-wide passion for sports.
In 2024, the second edition was elevated, attracting 39 teams and more than 480 players from diverse backgrounds—including villagers, enterprise staff, government officials, and finance professionals—across 84 thrilling games that kept the rural courts buzzing. The third edition in 2025 set new benchmarks with 41 teams competing in 88 matches, significantly enhancing the tournament's professionalism, inclusivity, and entertainment value. Now, the eagerly anticipated fourth edition, scheduled for October at the Feng BA Basketball Hall, promises to break new records with its state-of-the-art venue and fresh lineup, sparking another wave of basketball fervor.
The surge in basketball enthusiasm has fueled a town-wide fitness movement, with a vibrant array of community events creating a dynamic calendar of "weekly activities and monthly tournaments." Beyond court sports, rural road running has emerged as another highlight of Xinfeng's cultural and athletic offerings. In October 2025, the Xinfeng Town Village Run Challenge drew nearly 900 participants weaving through scenic countryside, passing industrial parks, ancient temples, and pastoral villages for an immersive experience of rural beauty. The event innovatively introduced a "ticket economy," linking local merchants and agricultural product fairs to drive mutual benefits between sports and rural consumption.
Provincial road running events are also making a sustained impact in Xinfeng. The 2026 Zhejiang Rural Health Run (Village Run) Series will stop in Xinfeng this October, blending autumn harvest scenery with rural markets and cultural tourism activities. This allows runners to savor local traditions while boosting rural cultural tourism's visibility. Through distinctive event management and high-quality race routes, Xinfeng is setting a benchmark for how rural sports can propel cultural and tourism development.
Sustained athletic growth relies on upgraded infrastructure and broad grassroots participation. In recent years, Xinfeng Town has prioritized sports facility improvements as a key livelihood project, completing renovations of outdoor basketball courts in villages like Wuqiao, Yangzhuang, and Henggang. These upgrades include professional flooring, improved lighting and fencing, and enhanced indoor gym facilities at local schools, comprehensively addressing gaps in rural fitness infrastructure. Following the establishment of the Nanhu District Basketball Association's Xinfeng branch, regular activities such as free basketball camps, school training programs, and charity clinics by professional players have deepened youth sports development, planting the seeds of athleticism in rural soil.
"Sports events not only enrich residents' cultural and recreational lives but also serve as a powerful engine for rural governance, income generation, and community cohesion," said a Xinfeng Town representative. These events break down geographic and occupational barriers, enabling villagers, migrant workers, and enterprise employees to connect over sports and competition, effectively strengthening neighborhood ties and consolidating town-village cooperation. Simultaneously, Xinfeng is deeply committed to an integrated model of "sports + agriculture + cultural tourism," leveraging events like the "Feng BA" tournament, village runs, and the Hantang Culture Festival to channel event-driven traffic into economic benefits. In the first half of 2026, the town welcomed 162,300 visitors and generated 34.8 million yuan in tourism revenue, truly realizing the vision of "hosting an event, boosting the local economy, and benefiting the people."
The timeless Hantang scenery and cherished memories of Xinfeng endure, now accompanied by a vibrant new chapter in sports.
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