Ganhaizi is a remote village of Miao ethnic minority in China with a strong sports playing tradition. Villagers organize festival activities including bull fighting, foot racing, dancing, tug of war and rubber gun shooting game. The organization Habitat for Humanity plans on benefiting the health and well-being of the villagers by introducing a simple physical education program - a public sports field. The sports field consists of two components. The villagers of Ganhaizi participates regularly in basketball competitions with other villagers from surrounding areas, and their male basketball team recently placed first, while their female basketball team placed second in the regional tournament. However, the villagers do not have proper basketball courts to practice on. In the Yunnan province, ethnic minority villages have few adequate basketball courts. The village basketball teams share a small and worn out basket ball court with their local primary school. Therefore, the first component of the program involves the construction of an outdoor basketball court with bleacher seats to provide the community an access to a decent, public, basketball court. The other part of the project is an addition of smaller scale recreational sports equipment to the basketball court, which will serve as a place where elderly people and young children can exercise daily and gather for entertainment. By utilizing the villagers collective-own public land, the program goals are to provide the villagers the opportunities to improve their health and fitness, a communal space to foster local cultures, and better quality sports facilities that are readily available in urban areas. The basketball courts will have several important functions for the villagers, it serves as: a central venue for physical activities and competition; a central venue for gathering; a central location to host festivals; a place for entertainment.

Who is the sponsoring organization?

Habitat For Humanity China. Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1978 in the United States. Its mission is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness worldwide by making decent housing available to everyone. The Habitat for Humanity Yunnan office started its program in Kunming in 2002. To date, it has built more than 400 houses. It has been an active partner in improving the lives of those living in Leprosy villages, and those affected by natural disasters, a total of more than 1500 people. http://www.habitatchina.org

Where will the project be located?

Gan Hai Zi Village, Yunnan, China

Gan Hai Zi Village, Yunan, China. Ganhaizi village is part of a district containing one of the largest Miao minority ethnic populations in China. It is situated in a remote mountainous area 128 kilometers away from Kunming, the capital city of the Yunan Province, the province recognized locally as "the lost heavens".

Do facilities at the location need to be constructed or upgraded?

Yes. The construction and installation of the following items will be needed: 1)Retaining walls,2)Foundation, 3) Flooring, 4) Bleachers, 5)basketball hoops,6)2 ping pong tables, and other available sports facilities.

Are any further architectural or design services required?

Yes. The villagers, none of them are architects or designers, come up with their own design of basketball court. Further architectural assistance in design, in project management, in on-site administration and execution will be needed.

Would this project benefit from the assistance of construction professionals?

Yes. Yes. The assistance of construction professionals will make this project more sustainable not only in terms of the operational life span but also in materializing the ideal basketball court with public function that the villagers are long for.