Races? Sure. Basketball and tug-of-war? You see that all the time. But sheep catching?

Those were the highlights of a rural games competition in Weihudi, a remote small village in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Supported by 10,000 yuan ($1,290) donated by Weihudi's 35 farmers, who obtained the money by planting potatoes, the competition attracted more than 300 farmers from seven villages.

Zhou Changjun, one of the sponsors, said they held the games to celebrate their harvest and exchange their experiences in production and economic strategy.

(www.xinhuanet.com)