A Tibetan boy's World Cup dreams

Updated: 2014-06-05 08:19

(chinadaily.com.cn)

In late October, a new highway was opened to replace the poor roads that had for many years helped to keep Bangxin village in Tibet's Medog county almost entirely isolated from the rest of China.

Bangxin village, located in deep mountains, has only one primary school. The school has 148 students, many of whom come from families that have been living in the mountains of Medog for generations.

Dorjie Tsering, an 11-year-old fifth grader, is a popular student in the school. He is good at his classwork and also good at sports.

Although the school has very little in the way of athletic equipment, Dorjie never fails to find a way to exercise. He likes running in the muddy playground with his friends, climbing cliffs, kicking stones, and other activies typical of a young boy.

From the radio and TV in the village shop, Dorjie learned that the 2014 FIFA World Cup is about to kick off. He said he always wished he could be a famous soccer player.

Thanks to a charity fund set up by China's Internet giant Tencent Inc, Dorjie is one step closer to his goal. The financing from Tencent helped renovate the playground of his school and brought its students some of the athletic equipment that they had been longing for.

A soccer team, with Dorjie elected as the captain, is now in full swing.

Dressed in new red jerseys, the children now play regular matches in the mountains. For Dorjie, who was so happy on a recent day he forgot to wipe the mud off his face, his own "World Cup" dream has finally begun.

Wearing sports jersey donated by Tencent charity, the first football team of the school was set up. [Photo/qq.com]

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