GUIYANG, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- On a football field serving as venue for a Village Super League football tournament in southwest China's Guizhou Province, one player stands out from the crowd, not just because of his blue eyes and bushy beard, but also due to his mastery of the local dialect.
As shouts of encouragement echo across the pitch, his fluent Guizhou accent rings out, blending seamlessly with local banter.
This unique football player is David Geary from the UK, whose foreign looks may turn heads, but whose effortless camaraderie with his teammates tells a different story, as the Briton is as much a part of the team as anyone else.
Born in 1992, Geary is a football fan who now teaches football at Guizhou University, with a focus on both football training and team management.
His connection to Guizhou began in 1993 when his parents moved to China to study Chinese. In 1995, they settled in Guizhou to research minority languages and cultures.
During his childhood, Geary's parents frequently took him to live with villagers of the Miao and Dong ethnic groups in Guizhou's Rongjiang County, with the young Geary spending about a month a year with them and immersing himself in the rich local culture.
This experience left a deep impression on Geary, even after the family returned to the UK when he was 14. Geary became fluent in both Putonghua (standard spoken Chinese) and the Guiyang dialect as spoken in Guiyang, capital city of Guizhou Province.
"Speaking Putonghua has opened up more opportunities for me, while speaking the local dialect truly reflects my identity as a Guizhou native, and I take great pride in it," he said.
During his time as a university student, Geary majored in Chinese and Russian, thereby furthering his connection to China. As part of an exchange program, he spent a year at Nanjing University in east China's Jiangsu Province, which allowed him to revisit Guizhou and reconnect with old classmates on the football field.
In 2019, Geary decided to return to Guiyang permanently. After graduating from Beijing Sport University in 2023, he joined Guizhou University to fulfill his dream of combining language skills with football to help others achieve their goals.
"Guiyang feels like home, where I truly belong," Geary said. His mastery of the Guiyang dialect has made him a local favorite, while his videos in which he speaks in this dialect have gone viral on social media.
In 2023, the Village Super League (also known as "Cun Chao") kicked off in Rongjiang County, and Geary was invited to join a local village football team. Thanks to his years of living in the village, he was able to seamlessly participate despite being a foreign player.
The league has become a hit in China and the world for its popularity and festive atmosphere. It has even attracted football enthusiasts from France, the United States and other countries to take part in friendly matches.
Reflecting on the league, Geary said: "Here, football is pure and passionate. Players compete for their villages, and everyone cheers together. Winning or losing doesn't matter -- it's all about the effort. This is what football should be."
Having lived in Guizhou for nearly 20 years, David has witnessed the province's remarkable growth. He recalled how it used to take two days to travel from Guiyang to Rongjiang. Today, this journey takes just one hour by high-speed train, making travel much more convenient.
As China's economy grows, more foreigners are learning Chinese, and studying and working in China.
The most recent data showed that in 2023, immigration authorities issued 711,000 residence permits to foreigners residing in China. Notably, the number of foreigners living in China had by 2023 recovered to 85 percent of the level recorded at the end of 2019.
"My best memories are all connected to Guizhou. People here treat me like one of their own, and that's what brought me back," Geary explained. "Teaching football in Guizhou is my dream job, and I would happily do it until I am 60 or 70." ■