【Line-line narrative】
football is my heart
Narrator: Wu Chunming, a villager in Chejiang No. 1 Village, Chejiang Township, Rongjiang County, Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou Province
Someone asked me, “Cunchao” is so popular, did you think about it beforehand? I always answer: For me, football has always been this fire, this fire burns inside of me.
I am born in the 70s. When I was a child, after chopping firewood in summer, my friends would gather in Zhaitou to watch the big brothers in the village play football. From elementary school to high school, from the yellow mud field by the village to the small half of the campus, there is no professional field, no professional coaches, a football and a pair of sneakers, repaired and repaired… In those years, life was not good. Affluent, but as long as I can play football and run freely, I can forget all my troubles.
Later, when I grew up, I found that there were fewer and fewer people in the village who could play football together. Rongjiang County was still deeply impoverished at that time, and many young people left their hometowns to work along the coast after graduating from junior high school. Those simple courts that were once lively on the river beaches and field dams have gradually become less and less people playing football. After graduating from high school, I had no choice but to join the wave of people going south to work.
I always look forward to going home during the Chinese New Year holiday, because I can return to the simple court that brings me happiness. There are so many festivals in Miao villages in our Dong village. Once the festival is over, we have to play a football game. Sometimes, the game lasts for more than 10 days. If you take such a long vacation and go home to play football, the factory will definitely not do it. Not allowed to leave, I had to resign.
I remember that one year, the village started a “riverside football match”, and football masters from ten villages and nine villages all came. As the main striker in the village, I didn’t care about the face of the boss. After driving for six or seven hours, I finally returned to my hometown before the start of the game. On the sandy land of the river beach, amidst the cheers of my fellow villagers, I charged forward desperately, feeling that my life was full of glory.
Over the past few years, poverty alleviation and rural revitalization have made Rongjiang different every day. Not only have new houses been built, many people have bought cars, and every village has a playground. Schools, towns, and counties have also built A lot of standard football fields. Although I am 45 years old, I can’t help but want to try these courses. So I decided to stay and start a “Happy Old Boys” football team with a group of golf friends. I usually butcher pigs, sell fish, repair cars, and play football whenever I have free time. Everyone no longer has to worry about the venue – there are more than a dozen free and open standard football fields in the county to choose from. Township primary and secondary schools have also launched football leagues, and we have provided voluntary training guidance for children with the same energy as playing football, hoping to pass on the love of football from generation to generation.
This year, when I heard that the “Village Super League” was going to be held, I signed up immediately. A slogan on the side of the court, “Life should be chasing the ball”, expresses the aspirations of many of our old players.
As long as the folks like to watch football, I will run on the court; as long as there are games in the village, I will keep chasing the ball. As long as the popularity in the village is getting stronger and stronger, the fire in my heart will continue to burn.
(Project team: Guangming Daily reporters Lu Shen, Wang Dong, Chen Guanhe, Zhang Sheng, Wang Simin)
“Guangming Daily” (version 07, June 28, 2023)
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责编：杨煜 ]