We're almost at the halfway stage of the World Cup, an event that gathers the best footballers on the planet in one country, who then battle it out for national glory on a soccer pitch.  The event is such an extravaganza of jingoism that even those who are normally indifferent to the sport can get swept up in a wave of national fervor.  China is no exception, of course. 

The love for soccer really reached fever pitch back in 2002, when the national team qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in their history.  Unfortunately, the country's millions of soccer fans were brought crashing back to reality when team China were sent out of the tournament in the group stages, without even one goal to their name.