Auntie Basketball is a grassroots folk sport from the Miao villages of Leishan, Guizhou Province, that has grown into a cultural emblem of rural Guizhou’s vitality. On October 2, a Guizhou Auntie Basketball delegation visited Crimson Cliffs High School in Washington County, Utah, to play a friendly match against local students. Hundreds of students turned out to watch.

Unlike standard basketball, Auntie Basketball lets players run with the ball instead of dribbling. The American students quickly picked up the unique rules, and the teams traded baskets in a lively contest as the gym echoed with applause and cheers. After the final buzzer, spectators flooded the court to join players from both sides in a traditional Lusheng dance.

Tegan Kuenzi, a player on the school’s girls’ basketball team, called the format fresh and fun, saying the whole game was really enjoyable. Fellow student Kennedy Snow said any people-to-people exchange brings communities closer together, and she hopes to visit China one day for study and cultural exchange.