Yang Laogan, better known as the grandpa of the Village Super League (VSL), was thrilled to recall his meeting with international football superstar Kaka on Monday evening.

"We met Kaka on the sidelines and gave him a set of gifts, including a Miao batik scarf and a batik coat," said Yang, who is from Baibei Village, a remote Miao village in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Brazil's former football player Kaka (C) competes with local players during a football match of the Village Super League in Rongjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Yang Wenbin)

Having spent most of his life in the deep mountainous area before the tournament went viral last year, the VSL changed his life and brought the Baibei Village into a new chapter.

During a cultural performance last summer, Yang, in his 80s, shouldered the cow rope and appeared on the court with other villagers from Baibei Village. His traditional Miao costumes and presence on the football court became popular on social media, earning him the nickname "grandpa of Village Super League."

Yang considers it his responsibility to promote the Miao culture of his village and never misses a VSL performance. Baibei Miao Village has transformed from being hidden in the deep mountains and unknown to people to becoming a new cultural and tourism destination in Rongjiang County.

"Since then, he has come out of the mountains and embraced the outside world. Every time he comes to the stadium, he is very happy. The increased traffic has also brought great changes to the village, attracting many tourists," said Luo Liping, the head of Baibei Village.

Luo added that the main focus now is to ensure that this remote village benefits from the VSL, enjoys the opportunities brought by sports and tourism integration, and gains more popularity for Baibei.

Additionally, at the intangible cultural heritage exhibition booths around the VSL arena, handicraft products from Baibei Village have attracted tourists from all over the world.

Jiang Laoben, a 61-year-old embroiderer from Baibei Village, always introduces Miao People's totems and football elements on the batik skirts to customers at the booth. As a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor, Jiang is now helping other embroiderers in the village to develop the local embroidery and batik industry together.

Every weekend, she and other embroiderers are busy at the booth. Jiang has been learning embroidery and batik from her grandmother since she was eight years old, and is proud to see tourists recognize her craftsmanship.

"Our Village Super League products are very popular, with expanding categories. The sales of our batik clothes, hats and scarves are particularly good. Last year, our T-shirts alone exceeded 5,000 yuan (about 690 U.S. dollars) in the highest weekly sales, contributing to our family's annual income of over 400,000 yuan (about 55,202 U.S. dollars)," said Jiang.

"Before last year's Village Super League, the sales of intangible cultural heritage products in our village were limited, mainly relying on the individual production of a single embroiderer," Luo introduced.

"Now more and more young people are returning home to learn the crafts techniques. A new batik embroidery exhibition hall and a workshop have been set up in the village with 10 regular employees and more than 30 parttime embroiderers," Luo added.

The VSL has transformed the development model of Baibei Village from passively waiting for tourists to actively adjusting to new changes. The village has evolved into a cultural tourism incubator, attracting young people back to start businesses in their hometowns.

Na Yunlan, the newly appointed cultural tourism ambassador of Baibei Village, used to own a factory in Zhejiang Province. Na returned home after the success of the VSL last year and now focuses on cultural tourism and agriculture, assisting the village with online sales and live-streaming.

"In the past, our villagers had many ideas and a rich ethnic cultural heritage, but they didn't know how to find suitable opportunities for development," Na said.

"The business model in the village is becoming increasingly diverse. We have witnessed the development of VSL and Baibei Village into what they are today," Na added.

"With the continuous drive of the VSL, we are confident that we will build a better village. We will carry out integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism to attract more people to Rongjiang."

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