Village basketball contest begins

The inaugural nationwide village basketball tournament opened in front of thousands of spectators. 

The tournament is taking place between June and October, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the General Administration of Sport announced on Wednesday.

The idea came from the grassroots basketball competition in Taipan Village, Taijiang County in southwest China's Guizhou Province, which became a phenomenon in 2022. People named the event the VBA (Village Basketball Association) after the NBA and China's top basketball league, the CBA.

It's a wrap in Zongzi

A zongzi wrapping competition has been held in Jiaxing to mark this year's Dragon Boat Festival. The contest sees foreign guests given 10 minutes to see who can wrap the best sticky rice dumplings.

Zongzi are a traditional Chinese snack shared during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Giant pandas celebrate sixth birthday 

Giant pandas Qiang Sheng and Heng Heng celebrated their sixth birthday with special cakes at Foping Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

The cakes were made of three tiers of fresh bamboo shoots and fruits topped with carrots, arranged in the shape of the Chinese character for "six." The elements used in the cake are all favorite foods of giant pandas.

Heng Heng, a male, arrived at the panda base in December 2019, while Qiang Sheng, also a male, arrived in November 2022.

Tech fans enjoy cartoon fest

In Hangzhou the China international Cartoon and Animation Festival is underway. The past two decades have seen the city transform into China's cartoon and animation capital. 

Last year, the revenue of the city's animation and game sector reached nearly $6 billion, hitting a record high.

Haikou to Heathrow

Passengers will now be able to travel from Haikou Meilan International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport. Three flights a week will connect Hainan Island to a European destination for the first time since COVID travel restrictions were lifted. 

The service, operated by Hainan Airlines, will run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

Recreational boating buoys Chinese yacht builders

Chinese yacht builders are cashing in on the growing popularity of recreational boating as orders roll in from domestic yacht rental clubs. 

One shipyard in Yuanjiang City says it has received a growing stream of orders from Hainan Province, which is already home to the most yachts nationwide. Shipbuilders say demand from inland regions has also been on the rise for electric, zero-emission yachts.

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