There is a popular slang the author has heard for over 30 years, "To travel with hardship, watch soccer in anger." In recent years, as the travel climate has changed, a number of in-depth, leisure, B&B, free tours, cruises and other travel products have been introduced, so that with the right choices, traveling is no longer closely associated with hardship and can be a pleasant experience.
I still remember the play-off between China and New Zealand in the 1982 World Cup in Spain! In those years, the Chinese men's soccer team almost dominated most of the World Cup finals, but they were eliminated due to lack of experience and calculation! Sports were not as diverse as they are now, and soccer was very popular among people. I remember that the Wujing Chemical Plant where I worked had not only a soccer team, but also two branch secretaries in our workshop. They both organized young employees to participate in soccer matches in their spare time by borrowing money from the five-a-side soccer field at the factory's technical school. In one match, I even scored two goals by myself. This not only exercised the body, but also increased happiness and popularized soccer! "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river," but, after so many years, our soccer seems to be still "east of the river" to sneak around.
From the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, every time you watch soccer to sulk at the end, because the Chinese men's warm-up matches, commercial matches and invitational tournaments are booming, but to advance in the key battle is always missing a little bit of luck "black three minutes", that is, "time is running out! " Coach after coach is changed and we waste time in front of the TV. Sometimes, when I see the soccer ball on the screen about to leave the goal line, I can't help but stick out my right foot and try to kick it, poke it, and pad it for me. My wife worries about me.
With the recent World Cup in Qatar, my "pseudo-fan" is a soccer addict again. From the opening ceremony and onwards, I watched live soccer on TV every day, especially the matches between Saudi Arabia and Argentina and Japan and Germany, the two Asian teams against the former World Cup champions, from trailing to tying, and then to the last anti-super. It was really intense. The thrill and excitement is unparalleled and one cannot go to bed in the middle of the night and use the recap feature on TV the next day to enjoy the moments!
Despite the absence of the Chinese men's soccer team, there are Chinese elements everywhere in this World Cup that fill us with a sense of participation!
It was only later that I learned that 1. Qatar, with an area of more than 10,000 square kilometers, is equivalent to Hefei. After investing heavily in hosting this World Cup, only three subways have been built, breaking Qatar's history of not having a single inch of subway. Two of them were designed and built by Chinese companies. More shocking is that the Qatar World Cup not only has large and small mascots, souvenirs, soft furnishings, lighting, flags, Hercules Cup ornaments and pillows "made in Yiwu" China also built the World Cup home Lucerne Stadium. As Qatar is very dry, water is a very precious thing. It is very difficult to build a mega reservoir deep in the desert. In order to satisfy the drinking water problem of many people during the World Cup, China participated in the construction of the Qatar Water Supply Project. Each reservoir has a capacity of 500,000 cubic meters and can provide water for 2 million people every day, making it the largest single reservoir in the world. No wonder netizens chortled, "In addition to the Chinese team did not go, China went to the Qatar World Cup." Unfortunately, the Chinese soccer team did not participate in the World Cup, but for Chinese design, made in China can show strength in the World Cup, I feel gratified and proud.
As the magnificent picture of building a strong sporting nation slowly unfolds, sport is gradually becoming a way of life for people. I believe that in the future, we will see the Chinese men's soccer team in the World Cup. At that time, we can proudly say, "Travel without suffering, watch football without getting angry."
