Join Rowan Simons as he recounts his two decades in China and his struggle to teach its masses to love The Beautiful Game. Inconceivable but true (and not without irony), the football revolution has swept to every corner of the globe – except the land of its inventors. Indignant as only an Englishman could be, Simons sets about his own football revolution in a country where it was illegal for more than ten people to congregate for even sports without official approval.
More than just being ‘another football book’, Bamboo Goalposts charts China’s sociocultural and economic evolution and the catastrophes which have prevented Chinese football from taking root and flourishing. Simon’s frustration is all too palpable as he fights what is often a lone battle against the incompetence of sports officials and the antipathy of the Chinese people towards the sport. Although Bamboo Goalposts is depressing in parts, Simons’s optimism and British wit pull the book from the chasm of despair and injects it with such verve that it becomes irresistibly compelling.
Unlike many foreign writers on China, Simons is not a mere dabbler; he immerses himself heart and soul in his adopted culture. His insight into the Chinese way of life will astonish both Chinese and laowai readers in the way his determination to bring football to China is inspiring to all.
Bamboo Goalposts is a must read for all football and China aficionados. Go get it today!
Rating: 5/5
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