Soccer lights up life of left-behind children in southwest China

CHONGQING - For many kids in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the Children's Day usually means gifts from their parents and a day off their school work. But for Ma Shitong, one of the thousands of left-behind children in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, the best way to celebrate the Children's Day is playing a soccer game.

A member of the Sanhe Township primary school women's soccer team, the 11-year-old Ma spends two hours in training every day. "Ma used to be a fragile and hot-tempered girl. Playing soccer has helped build her character," said Ma's grandma.

The Sanhe School women's soccer team was founded in 2012. Like Ma, most of the student players are the "left-behind children", those who are left in the care of relatives by parents who are busy working in faraway cities.

Despite the lack of equipment and professional instructor, the girls train very hard. Their efforts paid off when they won the title of the Chongqing primary school soccer league in 2015.

Sun Xiaoming, the headmaster of the Sanhe School, said that for the children in rural areas, playing soccer is not only a tool for physical eduction, but also a way to pursue life dreams.

According to him, several key players of the Sanhe School team have been recruited to the Mawang Primary School, where they can receive more professional training.

"I hope that one day I could make it to the Chinese national team," said Ma Shitong.