The campus tour enters its 8th year! Zhang Wei: I just want to persist in doing charity work

Special Contributor / Chen Wei On December 19th, the yearly "Zhang Wei Feidong Campus Football Charity Tour" took place as planned. This is the eighth straight year Zhang Wei has entered Feidong’s schools to carry on his public welfare football efforts. Once again, he provided the kids with jerseys and footballs, and gave a training class to children at two schools.

Zhang Wei recalled that when he first came to Feidong in 2018 to participate in the campus football charity event, he told the leaders of Feidong’s Education and Sports Bureau, "Let’s set a 10-year commitment." Time flies, and now this 10-year promise has reached its eighth year. "I hope this kind of activity can continue indefinitely because it is very meaningful," Zhang Wei said.

This season, Zhang Wei helped Shenzhen Xinpengcheng successfully avoid relegation, appearing 22 times in the league. After the season ended, he accomplished a major life event in Nanjing: getting married. While handling this personal milestone, he also started inquiring with the Feidong Football Association about when this year’s Feidong campus football charity event would take place, eager to see the children of Feidong.

Exclusive Interview | Zhang Wei: Don’t persist because there is hope, but hope appears because you persist

Over the past eight years, Zhang Wei has moved from Shanghai Port to Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, then to Qingdao Hainiu, and finally south to Shenzhen, becoming a member of Xinpengcheng. No matter where he is, he comes to Feidong, Hefei, Anhui every year at the end of the year. What pleases him most is seeing these children gradually grow and many continue playing football, which gives Zhang Wei hope for the rise of Chinese football.

“By participating in this charity event, I hope to bring more hope and encouragement to the children. I am also a player who came from campus football, so seeing them feels very close to me. Watching them play is like seeing a younger version of myself. I am grateful to every child who strives for their football dreams; their futures will be full of endless possibilities thanks to football.”

Regarding his continuous participation in this charity event for eight years, Zhang Wei said: “Time really flies; it’s already the eighth year. Last year’s event feels like it was just yesterday, and this year it’s here again. I think this is also a form of my own persistence. I hope I can continue and keep going because meaningful things must be persisted with.”

Zhang Wei once said, one should not persist because there is hope, but rather hope comes from persistence. With this mindset, he insists on visiting Feidong’s campuses every year. “Actually, this phrase is also a motivation for myself and a message to the students, hoping they can persist in pursuing their dreams and passions. For me, through this persistence, I see hope for the progress of campus football, and I witness the children’s hard work chasing their football dreams. Their training is intense, so I believe their potential for growth is huge.”

Over these eight years, football in Feidong has grown from nothing to something. This year, they even won the Hefei City U10 girls’ championship. The development of campus football here is on a healthy path, and Zhang Wei has contributed to this. “When I heard the girls’ team won the championship, I was very excited. It’s not easy for Feidong campus football to claim a city title in Hefei. This is the fruit of persistent effort and a positive cycle. Actually, football development still depends on youth training and must return to campuses. In recent years, I can feel Feidong campus football flourishing. With strong support and care from leaders at all levels, achieving good results is natural. As long as we continue on this healthy and correct path, Feidong football will definitely thrive.”

Zhang Wei believes he progresses together with the children. Reflecting on his 2025 season, he said: “My performance this season was decent; I’d rate myself 7.5 out of 10. I’m already 32 years old, and for a professional player wanting to play longer, it requires more self-discipline to maintain a foothold in the Chinese Super League.”

The 2025 season was quite precarious for Shenzhen Xinpengcheng, but the team united and secured their place in the league. “This season we went through a lot, including two coaching changes. In the end, under Coach Chen Tao’s leadership, the whole team completed the relegation survival.”

What was the most unforgettable moment of the season? Zhang Wei said that during the home match against Qingdao West Coast, his mistake troubled him deeply. “As a fullback, in that home game against West Coast, my error caused us to concede a goal. This is probably one of my biggest mistakes in recent years, and it frustrated me a lot. Actually, the mistake was tactical and had a big impact on me. But in the following crucial relegation matches, I think I performed well without errors. So from that perspective, that mistake shouldn’t have happened. However, I am an experienced player now and quickly adjusted.”

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Zhang Wei has his plans: “I am currently looking for a new team. For the new season, I hope to help my new club achieve good results and leave no regrets on the field. Being in my thirties, I just want to maintain my form well and play for a few more years.”

Whether it is persistence on the professional pitch or in football charity work, Zhang Wei shows the public the responsibility and wholehearted dedication of an ordinary footballer. Judging by his determination, this persistence will continue, which is truly admirable.