Team of classical musicians roared on by 20,000 soccer fans

The troupe of classically trained musicians packed their suitcases with performance attire, gathered their precious musical instruments, and boarded a flight from Beijing to Southwest China's Guizhou province last month.

Their excitement was palpable, but they weren't flying to perform at an opera house or a prestigious music festival.

Instead, they were intended to play a soccer match in the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture's Rongjiang county, famous around the world for its exuberant Village Super League, or cun chao, which attracted over 420,000 visitors in May last year.

When they exchange their performance attire and instruments for red and blue uniforms and soccer shoes, the 26 performers call themselves the Monday Musicians Football Club.

On Aug 23, they headed to the Cun Chao Soccer Field, a modest but usually packed ground in the center of the town, to take on Rongjiang Laojie, or Rongjiang Old Street, a local team made up of amateur players.

Yuan Yuan, a clarinet player and captain of the Monday Musician Soccer Club, was staggered by the huge turnout and the carnival atmosphere created by the boisterous crowd.

"Villagers came to the stadium after work, some dressed in their ethnic garb, proudly holding baskets of local produce. It's more like hanging out in a park or attending a festival," he said.

"They cheered for us, creating an atmosphere that was both festive and welcoming. We had never performed before such a large audience — about 20,000 people — and the energy was incredible."

The excited ground commentator Zhang Mingtao announced over the loudspeaker to the spectators that the Monday Musician Football Club is not just any team, but a collective of some of the most esteemed musicians in China.