Luo Chengmian and his club kids jog in a morning. (Xinhua)

The world in his eyes is nothing but a blur, and what he can do is to follow the direction of light. 

It's hard to imagine that 22-year-old Luo Chengmian, who was born with vision impairment, would have volunteered to set up a "Club of Child Prodigy" at his family's grocery store in a small village of Guangdong Province.

For the past two years, the left-behind children in the village have been able to play football, chess and read, while growing up together in the club with the company of each other.

Several days ago, a youth sports meeting was organized by Luo in the village where dozens of kids participated in more than ten games, including table tennis, 4x100m relay, and football

At the beginning of this year, he even organized a Spring Festival Gala for his club. The kids were singing, dancing while their parents, who spent most of the time working out of the village, watched them shine on stage.

Luo's "Club of Child Prodigy". (Xinhua)

A LIFE-CHANGING SPORT

When Luo was four to five years old, he realized that he had a vision disability when other children were making fun of him.

The turning point of his life came in 2009. He became a student at the Special Education School in Zhanjiang, Guangdong. It was the first time for him, just 11 years old then, to leave home.

At the school, he learned how to play blind football, which is performed with the ball equipped with a sound-making device to allow players to locate it. He even participated in the 2011 National Games for the Disabled as a team member.

"The ridicule doesn't bother me anymore. I didn't have much pocket money at school when we played football; I would find a large sack to collect the empty sports drink bottles on the court and sell them for money. I was never afraid of being mocked," He said.

In Luo's eyes, the world is nothing but a blur. (Xinhua)

The world outside could be terrifying and attractive at the same time for an 11-year-old. But the skills Luo learned, like blind football, playing instruments, as well as the people he got to know during the period, made it easier for him to try new things and become more open-minded.

He could make a living with the subsidies from the games and training. He was even invited to the try-outs of Liaoning blind football team, though the local food and weather were challenging. In 2016 and 2017, he formed a band with his friends to sing on the streets for a living.

Also, in 2017, he began to play football with the kids in his village during their vacations. At the end of that year, he made up his mind to come back home, focusing on those kids while operating his family's grocery store.

Kids from Luo's football team jog on the beach for warmup. (Xinhua)

HOME FOR THE LEFT-BEHIND

Located at the south end of China's mainland, Luo's hometown is a small village called Tangtou, which is only one kilometer away from the Beibu Bay. Most adults work outside Tangtou to make a living, leaving the elders and children behind.

Surprisingly, football became the bridge to connect the solitary kids and Luo.

"In Zhanjiang, I was the starting forward of the school's blind football team. What I am good at and what I can teach them is football," Said Luo.

At the very beginning, there were several kids playing football with him; then, the number became more than 60.

An idea appeared in Luo's mind.

The "Club of Child Prodigy" was founded in Luo family's house. The kids play chess and perform in the front yard, have meetings and rehearsals on the rooftop where the ducks accompany them, read in Luo's room, where there are hundreds of books Luo collected. The little rooms are always full of joy and laughter.

Luo Chengmian gives a football training session to the kids. (Xinnhua)

As for their football teams of boys and girls, their footballs and jerseys are donated or sponsored by Luo's friends, and caring strangers, sand outside the local primary school became the football field after Luo and the kids removed all the rubbish on it. The beach is less than two kilometers away is the training ground for them, with egrets and seagulls watching.

"One can learn life lessons by playing football. That's the thing I want to pass on to them," Luo said, a kid tends to grumble and have negative thoughts without the company of the parents. By playing together in the club, they become more positive, more cheerful, and willing to communicate with others.

Kids from the village wait for the show to unveil. (Xinhua)

INTO THE UNKNOWN

Typically, village people marry earlier than those in the cities. At the age of 22, Luo had been to several blind dates.

"My goal is to find the one who supports me on the club thing," He said. "I don't mind if I ended up alone. If the ultimate goal in life was to get married, I don't need that kind of life."

Luo's father helps set up the stage. (Xinhua)

His family undoubtedly offered the most significant support to the youngest son. During the preparation for the gala, Luo's father set up the stage. His mother cooked for the cast. His sister was the dance instructor and cosmetician while his brother was responsible for greeting the guests.

Luo doesn't smoke or drink alcohol; he eats at home, wears jerseys from his past football career. But the money issue still haunts him all the time, he would bargain for 0.5 yuan to buy a LED light bar, the scripts of the performance are written on the back of used cigarette cases, and most of the books in the club are already dog-eared.

But the kids love to be here. The grandparents in the village have no idea what football or club is, but what they do know is that Luo is an excellent young fellow and their grandchildren admire him.

Kids are helped make up before the show. (Xinhua)

Luo would visit those grandparents or video chat with the parents to explain what he can do. He asked them to give him a task he can offering help, like persuading the kid to eat or come back home on time. The kids are allowed to go to the club only when they finished the housework. Before apply for the youth sports meeting, they also need to ask for their parents' permission.

Luo even printed leaflets about his club to spread in other villages, although no kids from other communities decided to join so far.

He expects more caring people would offer help to support the club, or he can operate a new grocery store with the help of the elder children from this club to sustain the club with profits.

Some of the kids have grown up and left the village to work. There are growing numbers of new kids joining in, what remains unchanged is Luo himself. In this small fishing village at the south end of the mainland, he is a caring big brother, a trustworthy leader.

In the morning, as usual, Luo and the kids would go to the beach, run on their bare feet, and sing their favorite song. Their voices echo and waft in the sea breeze, "The burst of light in the dawn would penetrate the darkness, defeating the fear I can find the answer to the meaning of life."