A brief stop in play was called at the request of a player from Chongqing, who helped up his opponent from Guizhou.

The player had fallen to the floor during the Pearl Ball competition at the ninth National Ethnic Games underway in Guiyang.

Though the traditional Manchu sport of Pearl Ball "may be one most competitive" among the games' many sports, "it is still concentrated on harmony", said a referee surnamed Xian, noting friendly competition is encouraged.

The sport has its roots in pearl diving. The pitch is 28 meters by 15 meters and is separated into three areas - competition, defense and scoring zones.

Xian made his remarks while officiating the game between Guizhou and Chongqing at Guiyang gymnasium with at least 300 spectators in attendance.

Spectators fully packed the hall 10 minutes before competition started. At least a dozen security guards and more than 20 volunteers stood by to guarantee the games ran smoothly.

Each team has six athletes: three in the competitive zone, two with rackets in the defense zone and one defending the net.

"It's like basketball games, with players all wearing basketball shirts and three referees at the game with assistance from statisticians," said Xian.

He added that the State Ethnic Affairs Commission is planning to start a nationwide match league for the game.

"It's one of the minority games that has a bigger opportunity to became a modern sport," he said.

A 28-year-old college teacher from the United States named Katherine was among the crowd of fans. It is her first time to watch such a sport.

"I would like to learn more about it," she said. "It has many similarities with basketball."

Katherine has been working for Guizhou University for a year and she has many students from various ethnic groups.

"I hope more people from the Western world would visit Guizhou and get to know the cultures of the minorities."

"We established a training camp for two months before the game," said Lan Nan, a 26-year-old player from the She ethnic group that lives in Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces.

Lan plays for Team Zhejiang, whose 14 players have an average age of 20.

"All of us took days off from schools to play," he said, noting that all his teammates are from the She ethnic group.

"Though we didn't create the game, it is very popular among the us," Lan said.

(China Daily 09/19/2011 page10)