Cooperation

The soccer pitch has helped the villagers lead healthier lives as their incomes and standard of living have improved.

In February, Yang and some fellow residents organized a mixed-sex soccer competition between married and single people, including his 20-year-old daughter who studies at a college in Duyun city, Guizhou.

"My team, the married one, won, but it doesn't matter who wins so long as everyone has fun," Yang said.

"After learning to play soccer, the villagers have become more cooperative and more willing to do things for the public well-being, including cleaning the streets."

Despite the game's growing popularity, when the plan to lay the soccer pitch was first mooted, a few of the villagers disagreed because they thought the facility would bring no benefits and would occupy much-needed farmland. "Few villagers knew anything about soccer or the rules. Some didn't even know what soccer was, so they saw it as a useless activity," Yang said.

In May last year, the village committee held a meeting to discuss where to lay the pitch. Finally, the 8,250-square-meter pitch was laid mainly on barren land, but also on some farmland.

Wu Min, the village head, said it was decided that residents who volunteered land would be allowed to use fields owned by the entire village as recompense.

Village cadres promised that residents would be able to use the pitch free of charge and said it would add impetus to moves to develop tourism and rural entertainment venues. They also took the lead in guiding and organizing locals in maintenance work.