As the Guangdong City Basketball League enters its eighth round on May 16, the excitement is spreading far beyond the court. Across the province, fans are not only following the competition between city teams, but also discovering the culture and landmarks that make each city unique.
In a striking series of AIGC-designed posters, each team's jersey is reimagined through the lens of its city's most iconic landmarks and cultural identity. The designs transform basketball uniforms into visual stories of Guangdong's diverse cities—capturing both local heritage and contemporary ambition.
Today, the spotlight turns to Yangjiang and Zhanjiang.
Yangjiang: Nanhai Ⅰ & Hometown of kites
Yangjiang's poster is inspired by both sea and sky. Located in southern Guangdong, China, Yangjiang faces the South China Sea and is known for Nanhai I and as the "hometown of kites." It reflects a balance between maritime heritage and a vibrant folk tradition shaped by wind.
At the heart of the story is Nanhai I, a Song Dynasty (960–1279) merchant ship discovered in 1987 in the South China Sea. It is an important witness to the ancient Maritime Silk Road. In 2007, the ship was successfully salvaged as a whole, with more than 180,000 artifacts recovered. It's one of China's most significant underwater archaeological discoveries, and one of the oldest, most completely preserved, and most richly loaded ocean-going merchant ships ever found in Chinese archaeology.
The ship once sailed along ancient trade routes connecting China with Southeast Asia and beyond. It reflects the Song Dynasty's thriving maritime trade network and provides key evidence for the study of navigation, shipbuilding, ceramics, and commerce.
Alongside this maritime legacy, Yangjiang is also widely known as the "hometown of kites." With its open coastline, wide plains, and steady seasonal winds, the city offers ideal natural conditions for kite flying.
Kite-making is a long-standing folk tradition, passed down through generations and deeply rooted in daily life. Local artisans combine binding, pasting, painting, and flying techniques into a complete craft system. Their designs draw inspiration from nature, folklore, and everyday life, turning flowers, birds, fish, and traditional stories into colorful forms that move with the wind.
Together, Nanhai I and the kite culture reflect Yangjiang's dual identity—one anchored in the deep sea, the other rising with the wind.
Zhanjiang: Zhanjiang Bay Bridge
Zhanjiang's poster draws inspiration from the Zhanjiang Bay Bridge, a landmark stretching across open waters. Located in southwestern Guangdong, China, this coastal city lies close to the South China Sea and Hainan Island, reflecting a landscape shaped by sea, connection, and movement.
The Zhanjiang Bay Bridge was completed and opened to traffic on December 30, 2006. It has a total length of 3,981 meters, with a main span of 840 meters.
Zhanjiang is surrounded by sea on three sides and frequently affected by strong typhoons. To meet these conditions, the bridge was designed with an A-shaped main tower structure, capable of withstanding typhoons up to level 12. The tower is shaped like a torch, symbolizing the city's spirit of progress, continuity, and forward movement.
Since opening, the bridge has greatly improved transportation between districts, especially making travel easier for residents. It has also strengthened logistics and road connections across western Guangdong, improving links between the Leizhou Peninsula and the Pearl River Delta economic region. More importantly, it has reshaped Zhanjiang's urban structure, shifting development from a north-south axis to a more balanced east-west pattern, and fundamentally improving the city's overall layout and spatial growth.
Today, the Zhanjiang Bay Bridge stands not only as an engineering landmark, but also as a symbol of transformation—linking sea and land, regions and districts, and stability with forward movement.
As the games heat up and the tournament continues, the competition becomes a journey through these living landmarks. Which design is your favorite? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram @chinapop25 or TikTok @china_pop25, and join the creativity showcase.
Text: Li Muzi, Wang Ziyi (Intern)
Poster: Wang Ziyi (Intern)
