So, you want to hear about this Anhui “Wenyi” basketball thing? Man, that takes me back. It wasn’t some big tournament or anything, at least not the part I bumped into. It was more like… well, let me just tell you how I stumbled into it.
My Anhui Detour
I was stuck in Hefei for a few months on a project. Super boring, honestly. You know how those things go. All work, no play, and I was itching to do something, anything, to get out of my hotel room and not think about spreadsheets. I used to play a bit of basketball, nothing serious, just for fun, and thought maybe I could find a game.
One evening, I was just wandering around near the university area, trying to find some decent street food, and I overheard some local guys talking. My Mandarin was pretty basic, still is, but I caught “lanqiu” (basketball) and then something that sounded like “Wenyi.” Sounded a bit like “artsy” or “cultural” basketball to me, which, I gotta admit, piqued my interest. I figured, hey, maybe it’s a chill, friendly game.
The “Wenyi” Basketball Hunt
So, the next weekend, I decided to try and find this “Wenyi” game. It wasn’t easy. I asked around a bit, got a lot of confused looks. Finally, some dude pointed me towards a community court, kinda tucked away behind an old apartment complex. He said sometimes people played there, “wenyi de,” he said, which I kinda translated in my head as “the cultural folks” or something. Yeah, my translation skills were, and are, top-notch, clearly.
I got there, and there were a few guys playing. Not a huge crowd. The vibe was… different. Not unfriendly, but very much a closed circle. They were pretty good, actually. Smooth moves, good teamwork. But it felt like everyone knew everyone, you know? That tight-knit group thing.
I hung around, stretched a bit, trying to look like I was ready to play if they needed an extra. You know, the universal “can I join?” body language.
- I tried making eye contact.
- I bounced an imaginary ball.
- I even said “hao qiu!” (good shot!) a few times.
Nothing. They were in their zone. I felt like that new kid in school nobody talks to.
After a while, one of them, probably the organizer, a wiry older guy, came over. He was polite enough. Asked me if I was waiting for someone. I mumbled something about wanting to play. He kinda looked me up and down, not in a mean way, just assessing. Then he said, “Ah, maybe next time. We have our regular teams today.” Regular teams. The classic.
Reminds Me Of…
You know, that whole experience, standing there on the sidelines, it totally reminded me of this one time, years ago, when I tried to join this local photography club. I was super into photography back then, thought it would be cool to meet like-minded people, share tips, you know the drill.
So I show up to their meeting. It was in this dusty community center room. And man, it was like walking into a secret society. Everyone was ancient, first off. And they all had these super expensive cameras, talking about film types I’d never even heard of. I had my trusty DSLR, which I thought was pretty decent, but they looked at it like it was a toy.
I tried to join the conversation, asked a question about a technique. This one guy, with a beret and everything, just peered at me over his glasses and said, “Young man, perhaps you should start with the basics. We’re discussing advanced heliochromy here.” Helio-whatnow? I just nodded and slowly backed out of the room. Never went back. Felt like such an outsider.
It was the same kind of feeling with that Anhui basketball thing. Not that they were mean or anything. Just… a closed door. You’re either in, or you’re out. And I was definitely out.
So, What Happened?
Back in Anhui, I ended up just watching them play for another half hour. They were good, I’ll give them that. But “Wenyi”? If it meant “exclusive and slightly intimidating to outsiders,” then yeah, they nailed it. Maybe it was just a bad day, or I misunderstood the whole “Wenyi” thing. Probably my dodgy language skills. Who knows?
I just went back to my hotel, ordered some takeout, and stuck to watching basketball on TV for the rest of my trip. Sometimes, trying to break into a local scene is just more effort than it’s worth, especially when you’re just passing through. Still, it’s a memory, right? Another one for the books. Made me appreciate my regular pickup games back home a lot more, that’s for sure.
