Weekend Long Read: Breaking Ground for a Soccer Dream in the Clouds
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In Ze'e Village, deep in the mountains of Sichuan province, children play soccer on June 26, 2026. Photo: Zheng Haipeng/Caixin
On a rain-washed weekend morning, mist clings to the peaks surrounding Ze’e Village. Over the sound of a rushing mountain stream, 24-year-old Jifu Lama leads a procession of children in matching kits. They navigate through rice paddies, along irrigation canals and over earthen mounds until they reach their destination: a soccer pitch carved out of a former cornfield.
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