* China's renowned "Village Super League," also known as Cun Chao, has made a triumphant return after devastating floods.

* Rain-triggered floods in June hit the county hard, leading to the suspension of the league.

* The restart has brought strong hope to people in their efforts to restore normal life.

GUIYANG, July 26 (Xinhua) -- China's renowned "Village Super League," also known as Cun Chao, has made a triumphant return with a gratitude-themed restart ceremony staged in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province, on late Saturday, drawing tens of thousands of spectators. The celebration comes after devastating floods weeks ago, when the stadium and much of the county were submerged in floodwaters.

Four matches, including three friendship matches, were held on Saturday, of which many players from all walks of life contributed to the flood fighting in late June.

International stars, Roberto Baggio from Italy and Roberto Carlos from Brazil, also showed up during the halftime. "Although China is half a globe away from Europe, here I can feel that the passion for football is exactly the same," said Baggio on the scene.

Li Sha, head of the county cultural center and a member of the event's organizing committee, said that in just one month, Cun Chao is back in full swing. "This would not have been possible without nationwide support."

Launched in May 2023, Cun Chao has become one of China's most prominent grassroots football events. Boosted by the sports event, Rongjiang County, home to a population of 385,000, attracted 7.6 million tourists in 2023 and over 9.4 million in 2024.

The third season kicked off in early January this year, with over 3,000 players from 108 village teams competing for the champion.

On June 24 and 28, rain-triggered floods hit the county hard, leading to the suspension of the league. The floods impacted 145,000 people and prompted 92,000 evacuations. Six people were killed.

GRATEFUL RETURN

At the ceremony in the newly renovated stadium with donated turf, repaired lighting and rebuilt corridors, a performance titled "Rebirth" reenacted scenes of firefighters, armed police, electricians and medical workers from nationwide joining in the rescue.

"When floods raged, seeing rescuers from across China made us feel assured," said 55-year-old Yang Changrong, a performer from the Changba residential community, one of the worst-hit areas.

Yang recalled that the rescuers worked in extreme heat, carrying supplies by hand where vehicles could not reach. "When exhausted, they simply rested by the roadside. It was heart-wrenching yet inspiring."

Figures show that over 30,000 rescuers rushed to aid the county and donations -- nearly 80 million yuan (about 11 million U.S. dollars) in funds and 2.2 million relief items -- poured in for the disaster relief work.

Liang Xiaolei attended the ceremony as part of the parade team that participated in the relief efforts.

The veteran rescuer called Rongjiang's flood fight an experience that moved him the most. "From elderly folks to schoolchildren, everyone pitched in -- cooking meals and clearing rubble," he said. "Every time we opened the boxed meals and saw the tightly packed food, we felt their care."

REBUILDING HOPE

The restart of the league, a major sign of Rongjiang's post-disaster recovery, has brought strong hope to people in their efforts to restore normal life.

As the football matches are back on schedule, hotels are fully booked, and schools have been made available to temporarily accommodate about 6,000 visitors.

Wearing the iconic yellow costume of the Brazilian national team, He Yufeng from Chongqing Municipality headed to Rongjiang with his family to see Roberto Carlos and watch the matches.

Also an amateur player, the 37-year-old plays football every weekend in Chongqing. "The atmosphere here is great. I'll come back to play with my team if I get the chance," he said.

Fruit vendor Yan Jiafu, who suffered much economic loss in the floods, reopened his shop after obtaining a 500,000 yuan government-subsidized loan in mid-July. "Cun Chao has brought back our confidence," he said.

The county has coordinated with banks to provide financial support and state-owned properties to waive six-month rentals to related businesses. As of Friday, more than 90 percent of some 6,800 affected businesses had reopened.

After the gratitude-themed restart, Rongjiang will resume the league with full force and host all the delayed matches, said Xu Bo, the county's Party chief.

"Bearing gratitude in mind, we will move on, bringing Cun Chao's passion, vitality and joy to people across the country again," Xu said. 

(Video reporters: Yang Yanbin, Liu Qinbing and Ni Yuanshi; video editors: Hong Ling, Zhao Xiaoqing and Zhang Mocheng)■