Team spirit sees soccer achieve another goal

As the Village Super League, dubbed cunchao, in Guizhou province grows in popularity across the country, a winter version was held in Shulan, a city in Northeast China's Jilin province, amid howling winds and dancing snowflakes.

Amateur players from Jilin and Guizhou provinces put on their winter gear on Monday and played on the snow-covered pitch in Nanyang village, delivering an intriguing match for the spectators and showcasing the passion and sportsmanship of these amateur players.

Drawn from various walks of life, such as butchers, vendors, construction workers, excavator drivers and retirees, their enthusiasm for the sport inspired the crowd.

Han Qiaosheng, a former sports commentator with China Central Television, says that the match demonstrates a prevailing soccer culture across the country, which ignites a passion for sports among the rural youth, opening a broader horizon for them — through soccer, they can discover a larger world.

In addition to the match, the event has been a stage for displaying local culture, food and heritage.

At its opening ceremony and at halftime, diverse performances, including an ethnic Dong chorus and a folk dance in Northeast China, captivated the audience.

Through hosting snowfield soccer, Shulan authorities hope to attract tourists from across the country to explore the city's winter landscape.

Following the success of the Village Super League, which debuted in Rongjiang county, Guizhou, in May last year, hosting such rural sports events have been surging in the countryside and driving new impetus to promote the country's rural vitalization.

Beyond sports, such events blend cultural preservation and local economic development.

In Rongjiang, the league had received more than 2.5 million visitors between May and July this year, with tourism revenue exceeding 2.8 billion yuan ($383.64 million), at least twice that of the same period last year, according to statistics from the local authorities.

Soccer in Rongjiang extends beyond the Village Super League. In the 1990s, locals organized matches on open-air fields.

This year, the league is stepping onto the international stage, through friendly matches with teams such as Brazil competing alongside local players.