Bao Changlin (back row, center) and his Heilongjiang team in a quarter-final match of the men's under-18 volleyball competition at the 15th National Games in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Nov 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
On a humid afternoon at China's 15th National Games held in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in November last year, amid the polished ranks of professional youth squads, one team looked unmistakably out of place. Their uniforms were newer than their reputation, their accents unmistakably from the far north, and their faces β still boyish β betrayed
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