Players of the Chongqing Rangers Rugby Club train. [Photo by You Yu provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Chongqing Rangers Rugby Club, founded by rugby fan Xia Jialiang, has been promoting the sport in the region for 10 years. They have secured the first place in the Southwest division of Chinese Amateur Rugby Leagues several times and their best ranking is the fourth place in the national tournament.

About 80 percent of the players come from other countries, such as the US, UK, Germany and Samoa. Two of the players were selected into the national team last year.

In addition to providing rugby training to children, the club has visited rural counties to promote the sport. "We feel so happy that more Chongqing people have got to know rugby through us," said Xia. "Our foreign players also know more about Chongqing and the rest of China because of the sport."

Players of the Chongqing Rangers Rugby Club train. [Photo by You Yu provided to chinadaily.com.cn]