9岁踢足球，17岁踢蹴鞠，话说在蹴鞠之乡有一位“宋朝梅西“ | Parent of modern soccer

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Before football, there was cuju. The ancient Chinese sport is the ancestor of the modern popular team activity – and while those who practice it get a kick out of keeping heritage alive, the demanding exercise could leave them breathless.

蹴鞠是中国古老的运动。

"Cu" means "kick", and "ju" refers to leather balls with soft filler.

“蹴”指用脚踢，“鞠”则是指外包皮革、用柔软物填充的球。

The sport dates back to ancient China's Warring States Period, and gained popularity in Linzi, the capital of the Qi state which is located today in the city of Zibo in the eastern province of Shandong. The game was used to keep troops in shape, but also "a way to lift the morale of the soldiers," according to the Records of the Grand Historian, which documents the history of China. 

在中国，蹴鞠活动可以追溯到战国时代。《战国策•齐策》记载，齐国都城临淄（现山东省淄博市临淄区）流行蹴鞠活动。《史记》中则称，“蹹鞠，兵势也，所以练武士，知有材也”。可见这项运动在当时是兵士训练的一部分。

The sport gained momentum in imperial China, evolving from a training and entertainment activity to a kind of performance.

直到清朝，蹴鞠都十分受欢迎，还渐渐从单纯的训练、娱乐手段发展成了一种表演。

In 2004, FIFA confirmed that China is the cradle of football. The same year, Li Weipeng joined the game.

2004年初，国际足球联合会公开确认足球最早的形式出现在中国。也正是从这一年起，李伟鹏加入了蹴鞠队。

Li was born in Linzi, the birthplace of cuju. He began to play football at the age of 9, and switched to cuju at 17. 

李伟鹏生于蹴鞠之乡临淄区。他9岁开始练习足球，17岁开始踢蹴鞠。

"I play both. It feels like having a conversation between modern and ancient times.”

“两个都会，这种感受有点像现代与古代的对话。”

After Linzi was recognized as the place of origin of football, the district decided to establish its own cuju team. Out of curiosity, Li registered as a professional footballer. Because of his remarkable skills, he stood out from nearly 70 candidates. However, the young boy soon found himself facing a tough reality.

被确认为足球起源地后，临淄决定成立一支蹴鞠队。出于好奇，当时在专业足球队训练的李伟鹏报名参加。因为良好的功底，他从近70名候选人中脱颖而出。不过，现实很快给这个年轻的小伙子泼了一盆冷水。

The closed-door, monotonous eight-hour training every day was almost unbearable.

蹴鞠队是封闭式训练，不仅乏味还特别辛苦，每天要练足八个小时。

"The training was very tough at first. I was already exhausted at noon and fell asleep sitting there," says Li. "You just kept juggling the ball. It's the basic of all the tricks and skills."

“最初练得贼苦，中午累得坐在那都能睡着了。”李伟鹏说。“就是不断地去颠球，只有颠球颠好了才能玩更多的花样和解数。”

The laborious tricks are essential for putting on a good show. "Harvesting the peach (juggling)", "shouldering the moon (back dribbling)", "shooting-star turning (knee controlling)" all are famous tricks recorded in ancient books. Among them "harvesting the peach" might be the most difficult one, which took Li a month to get the hang of it.

他们练的花样动作是蹴鞠表演的重中之重。“叶底摘桃”、“双肩背月”、“流星拐”……这些都是古代流传下来的蹴鞠动作。 “叶底摘桃”尤为复杂，李伟鹏整整练习了一个月才掌握要领。

There are many ways to play cuju, including team confrontation, single-goal and trick performances. Cuju performances have become an important part of the football culture, with Li's team being invited to perform on many exchange activities, including ones attended by international football players.

蹴鞠分为直接对抗、筑球（单球门）、白打（踢花样）等几种踢法。其中，蹴鞠表演已经成为足球文化不可或缺的一部分。许多体育交流活动都会邀请蹴鞠队进行表演，世界著名球星也纷纷尝试这项古老的运动。

During the China-Brazil Sports Culture Exchange in 2013, football star Kaka played cuju in Han Chinese clothing outside the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing.

2013年的中巴体育文化交流活动上，巴西球星卡卡在奥运场馆鸟巢外穿着汉服体验了一把蹴鞠。

A fan of Kaka, Li was also in the game. "When I passed the ball to Kaka, I felt like my dream has come true."

卡卡是李伟鹏的偶像，当时他也在现场一同表演。“我把蹴鞠传给卡卡时，感觉做梦一般的场景变成了现实。”

Li (Second left) plays cuju with Kaka. /VCG Photo

Li enjoys the training now. "It's because I like doing sports. I like playing football and cuju."

如今的李伟鹏丝毫不觉得蹴鞠训练辛苦乏味。“我还是喜欢运动，喜欢足球，喜欢这个蹴鞠。”

He is happy about performing publicly and promoting cuju. "I feel fulfilled when I perform," says Li. "The training turns out fun, too. We enjoy it very much." 

无论是外出表演，去学校给孩子们普及蹴鞠知识，他都觉得很有乐趣。“给他们表演蹴鞠我觉得挺有成就感的，”他说，“训练蹴鞠也是蛮开心的，我们都很享受这个过程。”

Cameraman:Zhang Wenjun

Film editor:Liu Xinyue, Lu Gengrui

Story writtenby: Zhu Siqi

Englisheditor: Nadim Diab

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