At 20 years old, Qu Geping stands on the National Games stage with programming assignments in hand.
This former key midfielder of the national youth team has returned to the green field after a year of rehabilitation. Now, being a “professional player” is no longer his only identity—he is also a student at Jilin University majoring in Computer Science.
Qu Geping (first from the left) represents the Liaoning team in the quarter-finals of the U20 men’s football event at the 15th National Games. Photo provided by the event organizing committee.
“These days, I have a programming exam, and I can only take leave to participate in the National Games. This is part of my final grade, and I need to catch up on my studies after the competition,” Qu Geping said with a smile. He has long been accustomed to switching between studying and playing football, and it has always been this way for the past ten years.
Qu Geping has two goals: “I want to play in the Chinese Super League and join the national team, and I also want to master C language and graduate smoothly.” Many people have poured cold water on his dreams, believing that there is almost “no precedent” for this and advising him to make a choice early.
With a hint of youthful spirit, Qu Geping shook his head; he wants to give it a try.
Playing football and studying
For a child growing up in Dalian, falling in love with football is almost inevitable.
At the age of ten, Qu Geping showed his football talent in elementary school and received an olive branch from Dalian Yifang Club.
For Qu Geping’s parents, this was unexpected. Although they also love sports, in traditional views, a son with excellent grades should follow the conventional path of education. Playing football? At most, it is just a hobby.
At 13, Qu Geping (back row, first from the right) represented Dalian in the youth men’s football competition at the 13th Liaoning Provincial Games. Photo provided by the interviewee.
The young man was unwilling to give up his dream. Qu Geping and his mother made a pact—his grades must not decline, or he would have to give up football. “My original motivation for studying was to play football.”
When his teammates went to specialized middle schools, Qu Geping chose to “train while studying” and entered the top school in Dalian, the 80th Middle School.
This undoubtedly made things more difficult: waking up at six in the morning to rush to school, taking a bus to the club for training at four in the afternoon, and returning home to catch up on homework often until late at night. There were also matches on weekends. His schedule was always packed.
“At first, I often thought about giving up,” Qu Geping admitted. He had seen too many people “retire at 12.” “Most of my teammates who were doing well in school no longer play, and their families also advised me to focus on my studies.” The high elimination rate and uncertainty in football were enough to deter most Chinese families.
But another “unexpected” event made Qu Geping persist—he was selected for the U13 national youth team. “I performed well, and we reached an agreement at home: don’t choose yet, push myself a bit.”
Qu Geping described that period as “torturous.” “There was just one belief: I didn’t want to give up either side, so I had to find a way.”
In July 2019, Qu Geping (center) represented the Chinese U14 national youth team in the “Wuhan Cup” International Youth Football Invitation Tournament. Photo provided by the interviewee.
People are often forced to grow. “While others solve a hundred problems, I only have time to solve five, so I must grasp the essence of knowledge. I keep asking myself: why do I need to learn this knowledge point? Once I figured it out, I realized it was to lay the groundwork for the next content—it all connected at once.”
Qu Geping still clearly remembers that moment. “In the past, I thought it was dirty when barbecue food got charcoal dust on it; learning chemistry made me realize that charcoal is very clean, and I felt I had a new understanding of the world, which was the joy of learning.”
He applied this methodology to the football field as well. “Training is also from small modules to large modules, and then to overall coordination. I think about the purpose of the coach teaching this action and how to apply it on the field.”
More than one coach has commented that he “plays football with his brain.” “My physical fitness is not outstanding, so I have to make up for it in other areas. Thinking more and predicting more allows me to be more composed.”
With a total score of 695 in the high school entrance examination, Qu Geping scored 624.5, entering one of the top three high schools in Dalian; at the same time, he became a regular member of various youth national teams. “Once I realized I could do both well, my confidence soared.”
Qu Geping (left) conducting a physics experiment with classmates in high school. Photo provided by the interviewee.
During his three years in high school, with heavier academic pressure and more intense competition within the team, Qu Geping managed to cope.
He admits he has “a bit of ambition”: “I want to try to change some stereotypes—athletes can also be cultured and do well in studies.”
Plans and changes
With Qu Geping’s competitive level, he could have entered university through a relatively simple sports admission exam like most professional players.
Among his peers in the national youth team, he was the only one taking the college entrance examination. “The sports admission exam has restrictions on majors, mainly in sports and education. These are great, but I am a pure science brain. If I want to study computer science, I must take the college entrance examination.”
He has his own plan—first, to pass the high-level athlete test to obtain a reduced score qualification, and then to open the university door with his college entrance examination results. His first choice is Tsinghua University.
However, as one of the top players in his age group, Qu Geping missed Tsinghua University by 0.7 points in the sports test. “I lost 1 point on the slalom, and my competition score was not enough,” he recalled.
The so-called competition score is the evaluation of the player’s level based on a teaching competition lasting less than half an hour.
However, this somewhat unexpected result did not affect Qu Geping. In the 2023 college entrance examination, he scored 524 in physics and entered the computer science department of Jilin University. This score far exceeded the admission line for high-level athletes.
Qu Geping’s university admission notice. Photo provided by the interviewee.
After receiving the admission notice from a 985 university, Qu Geping hesitated. After all, his football dream was also within reach.
“Many Japanese players go to university first, and after graduation, they play professionally because the level of university leagues is high enough to maintain competitive status. But our university leagues are too far behind professional leagues; after four years of university, it is almost impossible to return to a professional team.”
According to the Ministry of Education’s regulations, full-time undergraduates must complete their studies within six years. Qu Geping decided to take a two-year leave of absence to fully pursue a professional league. “The country is promoting the integration of sports and education; I want to wait and see if there will be favorable policies.”
In the 2024 season, Qu Geping will represent Dalian Yingbo in the China League One. Photo provided by the interviewee.
Initially, everything went smoothly. In 2024, Qu Geping joined the first team of Dalian Yingbo and made his professional debut in the China League One; in June of that year, at the Weinan International Football Invitation Tournament, the U19 national team defeated South Korea 2:0 to win the championship, and he played the entire match with an outstanding performance.
If all goes well, Qu Geping will represent China in the U20 Asian Cup in early 2025. Dalian Yingbo has also been promoted to the Chinese Super League, and a bigger stage is beckoning him. Those dreams seem to be within reach.
On June 10, 2024, Qu Geping (right) competes for the ball during a match. On that day, in the international football invitation tournament held in Weinan, Shaanxi, the Chinese U19 men’s team defeated the South Korean U19 men’s team 2:0. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zou Jing.
On October 30, 2024, during a seemingly ordinary training session, “a teammate accidentally sat on my leg while defending, and I was just about to take the ball forward, creating a moment of counterforce, and I heard a ‘crack’ sound.”
Fibula fracture and ankle ligament rupture. All plans came to an abrupt halt.
Qu Geping became a spectator, watching his teammates compete in the Asian Cup on television. Under the spotlight, his childhood teammates Zhu Pengyu and Mao Weijie shone.
“I am really happy for them,” Qu Geping said with a hint of envy, “After they finish the Asian Cup and return to the Super League, they will get a lot of playing time, scoring goals, and assisting…”
“I am very anxious, not knowing how much I can recover.” This feeling of losing control made him anxious, “At night, I often feel shrouded in darkness.”
Pain and persistence
What once caused Qu Geping great pressure in his studies became a glimmer of light in the darkness.
“When I encounter pain in football, I turn to books to distract myself, to see how others face difficulties; it becomes much easier—originally, I am not alone; many people have experienced my pain.”
Qu Geping at Jilin University. Photo provided by the interviewee.
In September of this year, Qu Geping ended his leave of absence and officially enrolled at Jilin University, studying while recovering. After a few months, he grew to love programming even more: “Binary is fascinating; positive and negative, yes and no, just like the fundamental logic that runs through the universe.” His eyes sparkled when he talked about his major.
The long night will eventually pass. On November 3, Qu Geping returned to the field in the U20 men’s football competition at the National Games, with two long scars on his left leg. Starting from the second match of the group stage, he entered the starting lineup of the Liaoning team and played almost all subsequent matches. “Although I haven’t fully recovered, I am already very satisfied.”
He no longer feels anxious and sees the scars as medals: “Perhaps a professional career is destined to have such a tribulation; if I can break through to new heights after the injury, it will be different. A sword is forged through grinding!”
Qu Geping representing the Liaoning team in the ranking match of the U20 men’s football event at the 15th National Games. Photo provided by the interviewee.
However, now there is an “invisible mountain” standing in front of Qu Geping.
“I am just an ordinary university student; I must meet the credit and full-time attendance requirements to graduate. As a professional player, I need to frequently train and compete in various places. It seems that the policies do not allow me to continue on both paths.”
Many people suffer from not making a choice. For Qu Geping, having a choice is also a kind of pain. “Some people think I am ‘showing off,’ but in fact, if I had only entered an ordinary university and studied a major I don’t like, it would be easier to give up. If I couldn’t play professionally, I would also be at ease studying.”
The voices around him have never stopped: coaches advise him to focus on football, and university classmates tell him not to waste time on Chinese football.
“I feel quite happy to hear this; it shows that the coach believes I can play well, and my classmates don’t treat me as just an ‘athlete,’” Qu Geping said, “But this doesn’t really solve my dilemma because no one has truly walked this path.”
Qu Geping still wants to persist, first preparing for the final exams with all his might, then returning to the team for winter training during the winter break.
Qu Geping (left) during a match. Photo provided by the interviewee.
He often recalls something his mother told him: “When I first entered junior high school, the homeroom teacher advised her to make a choice early. Later, when she saw that I really didn’t affect my studies, the teacher’s attitude changed from opposition to support, and she actively coordinated with all the subject teachers, which helped me a lot.”
Now, he is waiting for a turning point—if his exam results are good and his performance in winter training is outstanding, he may be able to change others’ perceptions again.
“I must do this. Maybe I can succeed, maybe I will fall short, but I can encourage others to try; perhaps there will be someone more capable than me who can walk this path better.”
“I will persist until I can’t anymore,” Qu Geping said.
Source: Xinhua News AgencyEditor: Li HanruCopyright Statement
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