During the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Zibo municipal government are holding a series of foreign exchange and promotion activities dubbed "Visits to the origin of soccer culture".

The ancient game of cuju – which originated in East China's Zibo city two thousand or so years ago – was acknowledged by FIFA in 2004 as the earliest form of soccer.

Exhibitions and shows about cuju at the FIFA Fan Festival – taking place on Nov 20 to Dec 18 in Doha, capital of Qatar – have attracted a huge amount of interest.

A fan of the World Cup tries out soccer's ancestor – the ancient Chinese game of cuju – at the exhibition area in Doha. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Two fans of the FIFA World Cup don traditional cuju clothes. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Different kinds of cuju balls are currently being displayed in Doha. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]