Hong kong heroes

A play's revival brings to Beijing the little-known story of seven soccer players who were determined to get to the 1936 Olympic Games

In 2008, Hong Kong playwright Anthony Chan had just taken the position of artistic director of Hong Kong Repertory Theater. That year, he met Vincent Heywood, a Chinese culture researcher from the UK, who told him a story.

It was about China's first team appearance at the Olympic Games. Lee Wai-tong, a football player from Hong Kong, led seven other soccer players from a small fishing village in Tai Hang, Hong Kong, to compete for China at the Summer Olympic Games in 1936, which were held in Berlin. To raise money for traveling, they started with touring in Asia and competed in 27 games without a single loss. They made history and impressed the world.