Yanhe Basketball & 2026 Spring Festival Events Announced

On February 3, Yanhe Autonomous County held a press conference for the “Meet Dong Basketball and New Year’s Taste Along the River” basketball competition and the 2026 Spring Festival series of activities, and officially released to the public the arrangements for a series of New Year celebrations with the “Dong Basket” characteristic cultural IP as the core.

At the press conference, the organizer introduced that this event deeply integrates sports competition, folk culture and festival consumption, aiming to create a regional landmark New Year event. The activity is led by the “Dong Basket” brand, relying on the unique karst cave landscape along the river and the Tujia cultural heritage. The basketball competition connects New Year markets, folk performances and a number of cultural and sports activities to promote the integrated development of culture, sports and tourism, enrich people’s festival life, and activate the county’s consumption vitality.

A total of 16 teams from inside and outside the province participated in this basketball invitational tournament. On February 5, the Yanhe team will play an exhibition match with the Xinjiang Yecheng County team at a special hole basketball venue; the official competition will be held at the Huangjinshan Gymnasium in the county seat from February 7 to 13, using a competition system that combines group matches and knockout rounds. The entire event will be broadcast live online through professional basketball media, and the digital construction of the venue will be fully implemented, and intelligent ticket checking and multi-camera live broadcast systems will be introduced to improve the level of event organization and viewing experience. Some focus games will try an online paid viewing model, and related proceeds will be used to support the development of local sports.

Centering around the core of the event, the event simultaneously planned a New Year’s Festival with rich content. The site will focus on the exhibition and sale of agricultural products such as ancient tea along the river, beef and mutton jerky, glutinous rice buns, and ethnic handicrafts. It will also set up areas for folk experience and food appreciation, and integrate intangible cultural heritage performances such as Tujia hand-waving dances and folk song duets. During the event, government consumption coupons totaling one million yuan will be issued through the online platform for citizens and tourists to use as deductions when making on-site purchases.

In terms of logistical support, the event venue facilities have been comprehensively overhauled, and emergency plans for medical, transportation, and security have been implemented. Currently, the host Yanhe team is actively preparing for the game and striving to achieve excellent results at home.

During the question-and-answer session, the publisher provided detailed answers to issues of concern to all sectors of society, including highlights of the event’s integration of culture and tourism, selection of participating lineups and referees, digital arena construction, rules for issuance and use of consumer vouchers, and event guarantee preparations.

“A total of 16 teams participated in this competition, including 8 teams from within the province, 8 teams from outside the province, Yanhe Autonomous County, Dejiang County, Xiuwen County, Weining County, etc. These are the championship teams from various regions in our province. Outside the province, Guangxi Luzhai, Xinjiang Yecheng, Inner Mongolia Chifeng, Gansu Lanzhou New District, Chongqing Pengshui, Chongqing Youyang, Yunnan Zhenxiong, Yunnan Nanweixin. They are among the top three teams in the country and have a relatively high level of competition. We are honored to invite them to participate in our “Meet the Cave Basketball·New Year’s Taste Along the River” competition. It is very exciting. We hope that fans, spectators and guests can see a higher level of competitive competition. “I wish this competition can be completed smoothly!” said Lei Hongbo, the chief planner of the “Meet the Cave Basketball Competition”.

Zhang Zihan, director of the Tourism and Industry Center of Yanhe Autonomous County, said that this “Meet the Donglan New Year Taste Along the River” themed event integrates competitive events, New Year goods markets, folk performances, food experiences and other diverse business formats, and simultaneously holds New Year goods promotions, Tujia Doll Year, folk song contests, and Lantern Festival parties. Folk activities such as basketball, chess, and badminton, as well as a series of basketball, chess, and badminton events, not only enrich the cultural life of the masses during the New Year and strengthen the “Dong Basket” brand, but also promote the integration of culture, sports, tourism, and business, activate consumption, and help revitalization, so that the New Year activities have both competitive vitality, folk charm, and fireworks.