Guan Xu, 23, senior student studying sports training at Shenyang Sport University, Liaoning province

I was the first "soccer skills" student from Zhalong Central School to be admitted to a key high school in Qiqihar, and also the first to enroll at a university through the test.

Soccer has provided an opportunity in my life. I started playing in primary school to avoid sitting in the classroom. Without the enrollment policies for soccer students, I wouldn't have continued my studies after middle school. I would have left school like most of my classmates.

When I was studying, my school had just merged with other schools. There were conflicts between pupils from different places and grades, but on the pitch, we became united.

The students loved the sport. We played after school. In winter, we played on snow that had been trampled solid.

The place where we played was not a soccer field at all, but a piece of empty land covered with sand and small stones, so the balls got damaged easily. We didn't have soccer shoes, but everyone was happy.

One match, played on a snowy field in winter, is deeply etched in my memory. I was in the sixth grade of primary school, and it was the second time our school had played against another school.

The snow was deep, but we wore padded cotton shoes bought by our principal. He was standing at the edge of the pitch, shouting and giving us instructions. He was wearing a thick cotton coat, but he was still freezing. I was small and could not kick the ball very hard. We won the match, but it was so cold and tiring.

The principal paid for the team's equipment, including our kit and shoes. After we won a prize in the provincial competition, some people donated equipment to us.

The principal changed me a lot. I was naughty and often made the teachers angry. He taught me to respect the teachers and opponents on the pitch. He punished me when I played truant.

The principal loves soccer. He used to run very fast, but now he is getting older. I often visit him during the holidays to share soccer skills I have learned in college and talk about the current students at the school.

My English is poor, so I cannot take the entrance exam for postgraduate studies. After graduation, I plan to go back to my hometown to become a PE teacher. I want to be like the principal and show children how to play soccer.

Guan Xu spoke with Zhang Yi.