Amateur basketball event in full swing in E China's Anhui

Aerial photo shows a basketball match in Kejie street, Mingguang city, east China's Anhui Province at night. (People's Daily Online/Tao Tao)

Intense amateur basketball matches have been taking place in Kejie street, Mingguang city, east China's Anhui Province these days, igniting people's enthusiasm for the sport while also driving the local night economy.

Over 100 matches have been held since the event, dubbed "KeBA," kicked off on the evening of Aug. 5. According to Wang Ronglin, general manager of operations of the event, a total of 66 teams are taking part, playing 191 matches. The event will last till the end of September.

The matches are always buzzing with noise and filled with excitement. While teams fiercely compete, the audiences constantly cheer them on. The matches are the epitome of the city’s electrifying basketball atmosphere.

Wang added that the basketball games have also attracted various vendors. These vendors sell many kinds of commodities, gradually forming a night market. During the nights with basketball games, in particular, the number of stalls and passengers in the night market frequently set new records.

Zhang Zhengfei, an official of the Mingguang municipal bureau of commerce, said that the city will continue to develop the night economy based on local characteristics and by tapping into its cultural potential.