On February 2, People’s Daily Overseas Edition dedicated a full page to decoding the football phenomenon in Yongzhou, Hunan Province. As President of the Europe-China Artificial Intelligence Association and President of the Hunan Chamber of Commerce in Denmark, I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Having traveled thousands of miles from Denmark back to Yongzhou to watch the matches, I know full well that this glory is the spiritual awakening of an ancient city with a thousand-year history, a miracle created by ordinary people with passion, and a spiritual bond that crosses mountains and seas.
Every detail in the report is etched with touching moments, and every paragraph interprets the spirit of “Yong Chong Feng” (Forever Charging Forward). This underdog story, which started from a “beggar’s pitch,” has given overseas Chinese a key to resonate with their homeland. For this reason, I contacted nearly 40 prominent figures at home and abroad, compiled their voices, and wish to tell the epochal significance of Yongzhou football and the love for the motherland.
I. Football Ignites Xiaoxiang, an Article Illuminates Original Aspiration — The Epochal Resonance of People’s Daily Overseas Edition
This authoritative promotion, covering 86 countries and regions, showcases to the world the power of China’s grassroots sports and urban spirit. It interprets the rise of grassroots football in Yongzhou, explores its value as a “sample of mass sports governance,” and highlights it’s innovative practice of connecting public participation, government services, and industrial linkage through football.
The article combines a thousand-year cultural heritage with industrial vitality, letting the world see the vitality of Yongzhou. It is not only an affirmation of Yongzhou football but also a window to convey the warmth of Chinese cities, filling overseas Chinese with pride and enabling the world to understand the resilience of Chinese cities and the perseverance of the Chinese people.
II. Wisdom Gathers in Xiaoxiang, Voices Support for the Homeland — In-depth Resonance and Messages from Prominent Figures
The “breakout” of Yongzhou football has touched the hearts of prominent figures at home and abroad. United by the spirit of “Yong Chong Feng,” they send sincere messages to Yongzhou, full of deep affection.
(1) Heavyweight Voices: Prominent Figures Send Messages to Yongzhou, Discussing the Power of “Yong Chong Feng”
Tang Yunxin, Former Vice Secretary of the CPC Committee of China Agricultural University, stated that the fighting spirit of the Yongzhou team’s grassroots comeback is a vivid textbook inspiring young people, and he will promote the integration of sportsmanship with youth education.
Peng Zhongmin, Royal Photographer of Denmark, said the Yongzhou team’s resilience and never-give-up spirit has inspired their hometown and reached audiences beyond borders. He hopes to share it’s inspiring story with friends in Denmark, helping the world better understand it, and China’s grassroots strength through sport.
Liang Zhongguo, President of the Chief Brand Officer Alliance, was greatly encouraged. He believes the core of Yongzhou’s championship is the birth of the “Yong Chong Feng” city IP, which can link local culture and tourism in the future, and his alliance will help Yongzhou’s brand go global.
Professor Ding Yi, President of the China-US Silicon Valley Development Promotion Association, believes this glory demonstrates China’s urban spirit and grassroots power. The team’s fighting spirit aligns with the concept of serving the country through science and innovation, and he will help it’s development through science and talent.
Professor Xu Yongming, a Distinguished Professor of the Changjiang Scholars Program and Professor of Zhejiang University, once visited Yongzhou and deeply understood its cultural heritage. He admires Chairman Wang Hongjie for integrating culture and sports, praising the team’s “wild” spirit as true vitality.
Wang Heidi, President of the Nordic China Chamber of Commerce, said this glory lets Nordic countries see the vitality of Chinese cities. The Yongzhou team interprets that sports know no borders with the spirit, and she will bring more Chinese stories to Nordic countries.
Su Tong, IP Logo Designer of the State Intellectual Property Office, believes Yongzhou’s sports glory gives it unique significance. The young footballers are role models of the times, and the team’s championship is a witness to the city’s self-breakthrough.
Ye Lizong, President of the Denmark Association for the Promotion of China’s Peaceful Reunification, was moved by the team. This student army with an average age of 20 created legends with perseverance, and the national empathy makes football transcend competition; he was touched by this tenacity.
Jiang Linhua, Academician of the Bolivian National Academy of Sciences, sighed that the team interprets “Yong Chong Feng” with perseverance. This spirit drives him to engage in scientific innovation and build China-Europe bridges, and he will spread it on the international stage.
Chen Donghui, a double doctor of Chinese and Western medicine in Denmark, said the team’s comeback aligns with the TCM concept of “long-term perseverance,” resonating with the original aspiration of doctors, and serves as a cultural bridge between China and foreign countries.
Gong Xiuling, President of the European Federation of Chinese Women’s Associations, believes this glory warms overseas Chinese. The team’s fighting spirit matches the mutual help of overseas Chinese women, and she will share these stories with European women.
Yan Ye, Co-founder of Australia’s xSpaces, witnessed Yongzhou’s “breakout”. He sighed that the ancient city’s culture and folk customs are highlighted in the competition, hoping for more positive energy.
Yang Mujun, President of the Denmark-China Integration Forum, followed this event throughout and was moved by the players’ fighting spirit. She hopes this spirit will be passed on forever.
Luo Lingsong, Chairman of China Wenye Group, is full of pride. The team’s tenacity aligns with the enterprise’s original aspiration, and he will give back to his hometown based on corporate advantages.
Wang Hongjie, Chairman of Yongzhou Yihe Cultural and Creative Company, believes the glory belongs to every struggling Yongzhou person. His team will empower hometown development with culture as the soul and technology as the wing.
Li Zhengjie, a senior R&D scientist in Denmark, is proud. This glory makes him feel the warmth of his homeland, and he will share hometown stories to spread the fighting spirit.
(2) United Resonance: Outstanding Figures Support the Homeland, Conveying Xiaoxiang Affection
Zhou Shengzong, Executive Chairman of the Federation of Chinese Professional Associations in Europe, said this glory warms overseas Chinese and will promote China-Europe exchanges through sports.
Liu Xuelin, Vice Chairman of the Zhuzhou Federation of Overseas Chinese in Hunan, he said this spirit touches many people and enlightens children to believe in miracles.
Zhu Qing, Deputy Director of the relevant committee of the Pharmacopoeia Museum, was infected by the fighting spirit and drove from Beijing to Yongzhou for the Spring Festival to spread Yongzhou’s spirit.
Huang Qiong, Founder of ACYPA, was shocked. This fighting spirit changed her old impression of her hometown, and she will pass on hometown pride to relatives and friends in the United States.
Lin Zhou, President of the Denmark Chinese Cuisine Association, said the team’s tenacity aligns with the original aspiration of Chinese cuisine practitioners, and will deepen Denmark-China friendship through catering.
Tang Qinwen, Vice President of the Danish Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, believes Yongzhou’s championship demonstrates Hunan’s tenacity and will share these stories to promote China-foreign exchanges.
Lin Song, Founder of Germany’s In-Times GmbH, said the team’s comeback demonstrates Chinese tenacity and will spread them to Germany to promote cultural and tourism exchanges.
Zhan Tengkai, President of the Europe-China High-Tech Enterprise Association, sighed that the core of sports and scientific innovation is perseverance, and will help multi-field exchanges between Europe and China.
Zhang Feng, Partner of Wan Shang Tian Qin Law Firm, interpreted that the Hunan Football League(HNFL) activates Yongzhou’s advantages, and this “breakout” is the key to Yongzhou redefining itself.
Sun Xueguang, President of the France-China Incubator Alliance, believes the team’s comeback is like the growth of a startup and will integrate this spirit into France-China exchanges.
Yang Qiaoyun, President of the Women’s Committee of the Danish Chinese Association, said this glory is an echo of patriotism and will share it with overseas Chinese sisters.
Hu Ying, Executive President of the France One Belt One Road Promotion Association, is greatly encouraged and will promote France-China cultural and sports exchanges and help Chinese football through Yongzhou’s stories.
Wang Wei, Co-founder of Earth Axis Beijing Enterprise Management Company, interpreted that this spirit is a new-era inheritance of Yongzhou’s old third-tier spirit.
Lu Nandi, a practitioner at a well-known Danish design company, believes the team’s passion is touching material and will let Nordic friends understand Hunan’s spirit through design.
He Jiawei, Founder of a strategic investor, said the team has created a model of integrating mass sports and urban governance, demonstrating the vitality of third- and fourth-tier cities.
Su Han, a CCTV Network host, visited Yongzhou and said Yongzhou lights up dreams with sincerity, hoping this spirit empowers the city to go global.
Tian Wangjinjian, a postdoctoral fellow at Zhejiang University, resolved homesickness by watching the HNFL during overseas study and suggested Yongzhou build a football hall of fame to precipitate this spirit.
Gao Jinbao, Co-founder of Shanghai Kunzhiyi Artificial Intelligence Company, said the team’s perseverance aligns with the core of AI research and will spread this spirit and stories.
He Hongfang, a Hunan-born Chinese living in Norway, was moved by the team’s tenacity, saying the competition revitalizes her hometown and shared that she bought many Yongzhou specialties.
III. Cultural Heritage Continues, Spirit Forges the Soul — The Epochal Connotation of Yongzhou’s “Yong Chong Feng”
Yongzhou’s football championship is a collision of a thousand-year cultural heritage and the spirit of the times, an integration of grassroots passion and urban responsibility, an inheritance of the old third-tier spirit, and a microcosm of the Chinese people’s perseverance.
This “land of thousands of poems and essays” has a profound cultural heritage, beautiful ecology, and the background of the old third-tier spirit, and football has activated this heritage. The Yongzhou team has no professional stars or luxurious venues, but interprets the core of “Yong Chong Feng” with passion and struggle — refusing mediocrity, uniting and forging ahead, and never giving up.
This spirit stems from cultural infiltration, and this glory is the result of the city’s unity and assistance from home and abroad. The report in People’s Daily Overseas Edition has let Yongzhou go global, let this spirit cross mountains and seas, and let the world see the power of China’s grassroots sports and the warmth of Chinese cities.
IV. Charging Forward Without Stopping, Chasing the Light — Taking Spirit as the Torch to Meet the Appointment of the Times
The whistle of the HNFL has fallen, but this spirit will never end. As a daughter of Yongzhou and a bridge between China and foreign countries, I call on people from all walks of life to join hands and strive for a better future for Yongzhou with this spirit.
I call on overseas Chinese to adhere to patriotism, support their hometown, and connect overseas resources as a bridge; I call on experts and entrepreneurs to focus on new opportunities and deeply cultivate characteristic fields; I call on every struggle to integrate this spirit into daily life and create extraordinary achievements with ordinary bodies.
May we take football as the torch and spirit as the sail, let Yongzhou go global, and make the spirit a benchmark of the times, inspiring us to keep moving forward on the road of personal dreams, urban development, and national rejuvenation! May Yongzhou have beautiful mountains and rivers, and may the motherland prosper and be healthy!
I am particularly grateful to the Danish Royal Press for covering this touching story.
By Xiao Lingyan肖灵艳 Photo Source: Internet
President of the Europe-China Artificial Intelligence Association
