Photo shows the ethnic performances at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Village Super League qualifier held in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province on January 6. (Xinhua)
BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The new season of Village Super League, a village football league dubbed "Cun Chao" originating from Rongjiang County in southwest China's Guizhou Province, kicked off on January 6, attracting a group of foreigners from the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Jordan, France, among other countries.
On the afternoon of February 3, 33-year-old Kyle Scoble from the United States and his wife Zhong Yuxin, who is a local of Guizhou, waited at the Cun Chao football field in Rongjiang for the matches and cultural performances to start.
This was Kyle's first trip to China. He first learned about Cun Chao as early as 2023 when his parents-in-law shared the football match videos with him. The football fan said Cun Chao is similar to community football and basketball in the United States. Through Cun Chao that links football sports and ethnic culture, villagers are better united.
Kyle also noted that in order to better experience and share the stories behind Cun Chao, he and his wife spent more than half a month in Rongjiang, recording local customs and villagers' production and daily lives.
Also on February 3, 31-year-old British David Geary played as a member of the Guizhou Cun Chao team, helping the team win the match.
In the 1990s, David followed his parents to Rongjiang and spent most of his time in Liubaitang Village. He returned to the United Kingdom for high school and university study, and came to China again in 2020 to pursue a master's degree. He has been living in Huaxi District of Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou.
During the Cun Chao football season from May to July of 2023, David came on site several times to cheer for the Liubaitang Village football team. He received warm welcome by the villagers, which further stimulated his strong sense of identity and belonging.
David said he was moved when the villagers invited him to join their team and compete alongside with them in 2024. That was why he became a member of the Liubaitang football team this year.
In November 2023, the English Premier League inspection team paid a visit to Rongjiang. David was invited to serve as one of the reception staff of Rongjiang, accompanying the inspection team to visit local villages and schools and facilitating the cooperation between the Premier League and Cun Chao.
David said that he hoped more cross-border cooperation could help Cun Chao build bridges for international communication and exchanges, and ignite more people's love for football and life.
He was echoed by Max, who comes from Mexico to study at the School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, one of the most prestigious universities in China.
Cun Chao provides a platform for people from different countries and ethnic groups to communicate with each other and enhance mutual understanding through football matches and cultural activities, Max said.
Ehab Mansour Kamel Aletoum, Max's schoolmate in Tsinghua University held the same view. The Jordanian football lover added that many foreigners may only know modern Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, and Cun Chao allows foreigners to look at China from another perspective.
(Edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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