Tongshan Town Blends Sports, Fruit Picking and Culture to Boost Rural Vitality

As spring deepens in April, the slopes of Tongshan Town, Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, are adorned with fully ripe short-stemmed cherries, while the basketball court in Gaochengtou Community at the foot of the mountain echoes with constant cheers and shouts. On April 19, the 4th Xishi "Village BA" Tongshan Division (Wine BA) 2026 and Cherry Picking Activity kicked off warmly here. By the venue, freshly picked cherries still glistened with dew; on the court, villagers took off their coats and turned into players in an instant. A basketball game pushed the spring vibe of this "China's Featured Baijiu Town" to a climax.

"We pick cherries and tour Tongshan during the day, watch the 'Village BA' games at night, and even get consumption coupons and Shuangshao souvenirs," a tourist at the scene said with a smile. It is understood that the activity will last until April 29, with daily games, cherry picking available in every village, and check-in spots everywhere, creating a lively atmosphere for both locals and tourists.

This activity is more than just a basketball game combined with a cherry picking season. The local government has deeply integrated sports events, cherry picking, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) cultural and creative products, and the cultural tourism industry, aiming to revitalize the village through events, attract visitors with fruits, and fully activate new momentum for rural development. To polish the cultural tourism brand of "Beautiful Tongshan", a ceremony for appointing rural cultural tourism promoters was held on site. Six promoters enthusiastically recommended high-quality "event travel" routes around themes such as leisure and health preservation, outdoor sports, cultural exploration, food tasting, and red research.

Xinhua News Agency reports that Tongshan Town has been actively promoting the construction of village-level common prosperity projects since the beginning of 2026, focusing on the full-chain development of "local specialty enrichment" to boost rural revitalization and people's common prosperity. This activity is an important practice of the town's rural development strategy.

A row of cherry tasting areas, ICH cultural and creative markets, and agricultural specialty exhibition areas were set up on site. Featured products such as fresh cherries, Tongshan Shao, and ICH baked cakes made a concentrated appearance. Relying on the local IP "Shuangshao Sisters", the characteristic souvenirs of Tongshan Shuangshao became a highlight of this cherry season, attracting numerous visitors to stop and purchase.

Behind the lively events is the strong support of Tongshan Shao industry. Known as the "Little Maotai of the South", Tongshan Shao's traditional brewing technique was included in the list of Zhejiang Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. In 2023, the annual output of Tongshan Shao reached 6,500 tons, with an output value exceeding 900 million yuan, and more than 10,000 people were employed in the industry.

Xinhua Net points out that Tongshan Town has taken the construction of common prosperity workshops as an important starting point to optimize and upgrade the characteristic industry chain, striving to achieve "industrial value increment in the chain and common prosperity benefits in the countryside". At present, there are 10 Baijiu characteristic common prosperity workshops in the town, which promote the village community to increase income by more than 1.2 million yuan annually and absorb more than 100 idle rural laborers for employment.

At the launching ceremony, Tongshan Town released the three-year action plan for upgrading and improving "Common Prosperity Workshops". Relying on the advantages of Tongshan Shao's provincial ICH and geographical indication, the local government will build a full industrial chain common prosperity system, plan to build a town-level direct-sale store of common prosperity workshops within three years, and add 3 to 5 village-level collective standardized distilleries. "We will provide more than 100 jobs and drive each farmer to increase their annual income by more than 10,000 yuan," a relevant person in charge of Tongshan Town introduced, noting that industrial upgrading will empower common prosperity and let the fragrance of wine truly enter every household.

In recent years, Tongshan Town has continuously focused on rural cultural tourism and the construction of common prosperity workshops, constantly enhancing the popularity and influence of "Beautiful Tongshan". This time, with "Village BA" as the link and the cherry season as the carrier, it has connected sports events with cultural tourism consumption, ICH inheritance, and agricultural product sales in a line. A basketball game, a glass of Tongshan Shao, and a short-stemmed cherry—these seemingly ordinary local elements have become new engines for Tongshan to activate the rural economy and gather local popularity, making the characteristic industries more prosperous, rural cultural tourism more booming, and people's lives happier.