关键词: 乡村民俗文化仪式, 野球体育赛事, 文化赓续, 现代转型, 行为叙事

Abstract:

Since the reform and opening-up, China’s modernization, characterized by rapid urbanization, has swept through the traditional rural areas, leading to a decline of community cohesion and collective solidarity in the rural areas. This decline manifests as a rupture between tradition and modernity in ritualized human connections—both ideologically and behaviorally. Rooted in the rural culture, the Chinese society faces a critical juncture where this foundational cultural practice is losing its traditional prominence amid social transformation. This phenomenon leads to reflections on the evolution of the rural culture and its eventual modern manifestation.Through an ethnographic examination of the villagers' participation in and the spectatorship of “amateur basketball match”, which is a contemporary rural cultural activity, this paper explores into how basketball tournaments, organized as ritual events akin to temple fairs, bridge modern ceremonial practices while preserving symbolic and practical continuities with the traditional rituals. It is revealed that these grassroots basketball matches inherit the symbolism, inclusivity, and non-utilitarian ethos of traditional cultural rites. Meanwhile, they function as competitive yet ritualized bodily performances, fostering social integration and reconstructing rural cultural communities. In doing so, they reproduce a new cultural order for the modern rural society.

Key words: rural cultural ritual, amateur basketball match, cultural inheritance, modern transformation, behavior narrative