Latest news with #WuLei
Ammon
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Ammon
Wu Lei returns to China squad for crunch World Cup qualifiers
Ammon News - Wu Lei looks set to make his first appearance for China in more than eight months after being included in Branko Ivankovic's 27-man squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia and Bahrain on Thursday. The 33-year-old former Espanyol winger, who has scored 36 goals in 99 appearances for his country, last played an international against Saudi Arabia last September before being sidelined by a knee injury. He returned to action for Shanghai Port last month and Ivankovic will hope he can bring a much-needed cutting edge to China's forward line, which has failed to find the net in either of their last two qualifiers. Uncapped midfielder Yang Mingyang was also included in the squad after the former Swiss youth international had his request to change international allegiance approved by FIFA on Monday. China are bottom of Group C and cannot now earn direct passage to the 2026 World Cup finals from the third stage of Asian qualifying. They could, however, still get through to a fourth stage if they can leapfrog Bahrain, who are above them on goal difference, and Indonesia, who stand three points ahead, after the final round of qualifiers. China, who have qualified only once for the World Cup in 2002, travel to Jakarta to play the Indonesians on June 5 before hosting Bahrain in Chongqing five days later. Reuters
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Winger Wu Lei returns to China squad for crunch Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifiers
Wu Lei looks set to make his first appearance for China in more than eight months after being included in Branko Ivankovic's 27-man squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia and Bahrain on Thursday. The 33-year-old former Espanyol winger, who has scored 36 goals in 99 appearances for his country, last played an international against Saudi Arabia last September before being sidelined by a knee injury. He returned to action for Shanghai Port last month and Ivankovic will hope he can bring a much-needed cutting edge to China's forward line, which has failed to find the net in either of their past two qualifiers. Uncapped midfielder Yang Mingyang was also included in the squad after the former Swiss youth international had his request to change international allegiance approved by Fifa on Monday. China are bottom of Group C and cannot now earn direct passage to the 2026 World Cup finals from the third stage of Asian qualifying. They could, however, still get through to a fourth stage if they can leapfrog Bahrain, who are above them on goal difference, and Indonesia, who stand three points ahead, after the final round of qualifiers.
Business Recorder
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Business Recorder
Wu Lei returns to China squad for crunch World Cup qualifiers
BEIJING: Wu Lei looks set to make his first appearance for China in more than eight months after being included in Branko Ivankovic's 27-man squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia and Bahrain on Thursday. The 33-year-old former Espanyol winger, who has scored 36 goals in 99 appearances for his country, last played an international against Saudi Arabia last September before being sidelined by a knee injury. He returned to action for Shanghai Port last month and Ivankovic will hope he can bring a much-needed cutting edge to China's forward line, which has failed to find the net in either of their last two qualifiers. Uncapped midfielder Yang Mingyang was also included in the squad after the former Swiss youth international had his request to change international allegiance approved by FIFA on Monday. Man United's Dalot calls for reflection after Europa League final loss China are bottom of Group C and cannot now earn direct passage to the 2026 World Cup finals from the third stage of Asian qualifying. They could, however, still get through to a fourth stage if they can leapfrog Bahrain, who are above them on goal difference, and Indonesia, who stand three points ahead, after the final round of qualifiers. China, who have qualified only once for the World Cup in 2002, travel to Jakarta to play the Indonesians on June 5 before hosting Bahrain in Chongqing five days later.
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Wu Lei returns to China squad for crunch World Cup qualifiers
BEIJING, May 22 (Reuters) - Wu Lei looks set to make his first appearance for China in more than eight months after being included in Branko Ivankovic's 27-man squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Indonesia and Bahrain on Thursday. The 33-year-old former Espanyol winger, who has scored 36 goals in 99 appearances for his country, last played an international against Saudi Arabia last September before being sidelined by a knee injury. He returned to action for Shanghai Port last month and Ivankovic will hope he can bring a much-needed cutting edge to China's forward line, which has failed to find the net in either of their last two qualifiers. Uncapped midfielder Yang Mingyang was also included in the squad after the former Swiss youth international had his request to change international allegiance approved by FIFA on Monday. China are bottom of Group C and cannot now earn direct passage to the 2026 World Cup finals from the third stage of Asian qualifying. They could, however, still get through to a fourth stage if they can leapfrog Bahrain, who are above them on goal difference, and Indonesia, who stand three points ahead, after the final round of qualifiers. China, who have qualified only once for the World Cup in 2002, travel to Jakarta to play the Indonesians on June 5 before hosting Bahrain in Chongqing five days later.
Newsroom
17-05-2025
- General
- Newsroom
Short story: The visit, by Sherry Xu
Mei, wrapped in a blanket, looked out of the window and saw hail scattered on the deck. 'Come and look!' she called out to Wu Lei in the sitting room. He didn't budge, continuing to play games on his laptop. The sun had warmed the room by around eleven o'clock. She was still in bed reading when she heard loud knocking at the door. They had never had visitors since they moved here three months ago. Wu Lei opened the door, as if he'd been expecting someone. She heard him stammering in English before calling out to her in Chinese, 'Mei, can you come out?' She hastily scrambled into a jumper over her pyjama top, and tidied her hair briefly with her fingers. At the door stood two beautiful young women with sweet smiles. 'Do you speak English?' the girl with blonde hair asked. 'Yes?' 'Do you have a minute to hear about the good news of Jesus?' The girls' faces and bodies gleamed in the sunlight. 'Come in, do come in,' Mei said, fleeing back to the bedroom – she needed to get changed. She called out to Wu Lei in Chinese through the door, 'Get the chairs ready for our guests, would you?' She quickly changed, shoved the mess of clothes from the bedroom chair onto the bed and carried out a spare chair. Wu Lei stepped over to help her. The two girls were seated on the two dining chairs. 'Would you like something to drink?' asked Mei. 'Would you like tea? Chinese tea?' 'Oh, thank you so much,' said one girl. 'That's very kind of you, but could we just have water please.' The kitchen bench top was cluttered. A plate with food stains and a used mug sat beside Wu Lei's laptop on the dining table. The water in the kettle had been boiled in the morning so she gave the girls two cups of warm water. She didn't yet know that tap water was drinkable. Wu Lei made Mei sit on the bedroom chair while he settled on a low plastic stool they had found at an inorganic collection. 'My name is Sarah, and this is Indie.' The room looked cramped with four people – there was hardly any space to turn around. The girls were too beautiful to be here. Sarah was wearing a white tailored shirt and beige pants. Indie had on a navy blue short-sleeve dress. Their faces looked so young they couldn't be over twenty-five. If only they could see their apartment in Shenzhen! The girls must think they were poor. 'I'm sorry for this place …' said Mei. Seeing Sarah scanning the room before resting her puzzled gaze at her face, she added, 'It's only temporary… it's so … simple …' 'No, no, no, your house is fine … it's good. We've been to all sorts of places… we love them all. You should see where we live, it's only a tiny room with two single beds and nothing else… ' said Sarah. Indie nodded enthusiastically. The girls really didn't mind, Mei realised. In fact, they might take pride in coming to poor places. Wasn't it especially satisfying to spread Jesus' words to the wretched, the crippled, the jobless and clueless new immigrants like themselves, and to save their souls? She had never before observed a person of a different race so closely. Indie's left arm was right before her eyes, covered with fine golden hair. She wanted to touch, to smooth down the soft hair in one direction and then brush them up from another, like the northern wind sweeping over the long grass on the steppes of Inner-Mongolia, revealing sheep and cows – the tiny freckles on the white arm. The hairs on her own arms were scarce. With Chinese people, only the elderly had freckles, as far as she knew. Indie's long lashes, golden too, a darker gold, completely shielded her eyes when she looked down, then flashed up, revealing two sparkling blue lakes. How could this many colours co-exist in one person? Where are you from? they were asking. How long have you been here, how do you like New Zealand? Do you believe in God, do you have friends who believe in God? The two girls spoke clearly and gently, listened to Mei, nodding their heads. They were considerate, understanding, forgiving. How nice it would be to be friends with them. Were these girls trying to convert her into a believer in God? Maybe God would love her too, an Asian? Please tell her how to behave in order to belong in this new and strange land, where God shares the same race as the majority of the people. Not her race. That's different. Will this God treat her differently? Can she trust Him when His people here have treated her differently, like the time she was told to go back where she came from? Her friend Jenny had said that many Chinese immigrants in New Zealand had joined a church, mostly a Chinese church, where they made new friends, formed networks, and found a sense of belonging while learning to be believers. God would love you unconditionally, they said. Death was not extinction; souls would prevail. There was heaven — if you strived hard enough, you would reach eternity. Your struggles and suffering, no matter how minor or humble, were worthwhile. Your existence would have meaning and purpose, should you believe in God. She would devote herself to Him then — if she was convinced — like a Tibetan peasant repeatedly prostrating himself on the road, covering the entire distance from his hometown to Lhasa on the pilgrimage. The small talk continued. Wu Lei was visibly bored. He sat staring at the carpet, now fidgeting on the stool, shuffling his legs or rubbing his chin, unwilling or unable to join in the conversation. When Sarah suggested they pray, Mei nodded. 'Prayer, prayer,' Indie clasped her hands together in front of her face to show Wu Lei what she meant, exaggerating, the way people explained things to foreigners. Wu Lei rose from the stool, politely smiled at her, and shook his head. He picked up his laptop from the dining table, and quietly closing the bedroom door behind him. 'You can say your prayers out loud or silently. Which way do you prefer?' asked Sarah. 'Silently please,' Mei said. 'Okay, let's pray. We start with 'Heavenly Father'.' Mei imitated the girls. She lowered her head and eyes and clasped her hands in front of her chest. Shall I intertwine my fingers or shall I wrap one hand around the other? She peeked at the girls, bringing her elbows and forearms closer to be more earnest and sincere. 'Heavenly Father,' she began, but then she didn't know what to say. She called out to Him silently. She needed to know if He was there first — otherwise, what was the point of praying to a void? Then she listened. Tick, tock. It was the little alarm clock they had bought from The Warehouse, made in China, cheap but useful. Outside, cicadas were singing. Songs of love, she had read somewhere, but they were not sweet songs at all. They were shrill, urgent, the male pleading to the female to mate, despite the fact that soon after mating and the laying of eggs, they would both die. All within two to four weeks. A car zoomed down a street. How silly she had been when she first came here thinking no one lived in Auckland. Cars had been passing by all the time. In a car, there'd always be people, at least a driver. And if this driver was not careful, putting his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake or turning the steering wheel a little too far, an accident could happen. She listened hard, and she could hear nothing else. And she knew that there was no God, that she was on her own. She had always been and always would be on her own. It would be nice to have God, but no. She couldn't fool herself, she couldn't fake it. With 'Amen' the girls ended their prayers. Mei said 'Amen' too. The girls read her a passage from the Bible, but it made no sense. 'Shall we come to see you again next week?' 'Well, we wont't be home next week …' Mei tried to find excuses. It was hard to say no now that they had chatted with each other like friends. That would be too blunt, wouldn't it? 'Then maybe the week after? On Saturday morning?' 'Maybe …' 'Please can you tell us a time that we could come?' It finally occurred to Mei that the Chinese way of refusal would not work in this country. 'I'm really sorry,' she said with an apologetic smile while looking directly at Sarah. 'Please don't come again. We're not interested.' Asked what was on her mind when she wrote her story, the author replied, 'The story was inspired by a visit from two Mormon girls. Christianity has become something new and compelling among Chinese immigrants — a hunger for spirituality after years of both Marx's materialism and the relentless materialism of capitalism. But religion isn't for me. I have literature.'
