Basketball and folk dance matched unexpectedly well in SIP last week. During the fifth round of the 2026 Suzhou Basketball Super League regular season, as the home team of SIP faced off against the team of Wujiang District, the halftime show stole the spotlight—not with slam dunks, but with energetic dancing and rhythmic clicks.

In the show, 16 performers from Shengpu Sub-district’s Puyun Lianxiang Troupe, dressed in traditional costumes, danced to beautiful folk music. They held specially designed sticks in hands and rhythmically tapped the wrist, shoulder, back, waist and leg with the tempo of music. The four-minute dance demonstrated the fusion of ancient folk dance and modern stage choreography, drawing warm applause from the audiences.

The Shengpu Lianxiang is an intangible cultural heritage element of Suzhou. The Puyun Lianxiang Troupe was formed in 2009 by a team of Lianxiang enthusiasts who have since then devoted themselves to carrying forward and perfecting this dancing art.

June 10, 2026