Tan Siqi has achieved a lot for a 13-year-old from a remote part of southwestern Chinese municipality of Chongqing. And it's all thanks to football. From her local team in a county two hours' drive from the Chongqing's city center, she's progressed to membership of China's very first girls' primary school football team. 

Siqi's first school – Sanhezhen Primary – has a special program focusing on using football to help local children qualify for an inner-city education through the sport. The best players are transferred to Baihua Primary School in central Chongqing, from where, if they perform well, they can move on to a prestigious middle school. 

At Baihua Primary School, Siqi quickly established herself as a star player. She was soon earmarked to continue her education at the 37th Middle School in central Chongqing. When we met her a year ago, she was reveling in her new life, including the school's good training conditions. 

Someone who appreciates just how far Siqi has come is her coach, Wang Yangmiao. 

“I still remember the first time I met them when I went to Sanhezhen Primary School,” he says. “I had indescribable feelings, both of sadness and relief. I felt relieved because I found many children who love playing football in such a remote primary school. The football they were playing with was made from rubber rather than the leather. They were wearing sneakers, rubber shoes, or even sandals to take part in training. They had no choice. The conditions in rural areas are much worse than in big cities.” 

Siqi is going from strength to strength. She confided in us that it was her dream to join China's national team, and she has recently moved much closer to achieving it, having been selected for the Girls' Primary School National Team. 

She's one of the 17 players selected for the Group B team. It's one of the eleven new teams, whose formation was announced in Guangzhou, south China on January 29. The teams range from primary school to high school, comprising a total of 239 players across all categories. They will compete domestically, and also represent China on the international tournaments.

For Tan Siqi, her hard work is paying off. And she feels she has proved a point to those who questioned why girls were playing football. 

She recalls her reaction to a parent, who once insisted that football was a sport for boys and wondered why girls were involved. “Why do grown-ups always believe that boys perform better than girls?” Siqi asks. “In China, the national women's football team outperforms the male team.” 

Now Siqi can do her bit to continue the success of women's football in China. 

(Rediscovering China is a 30-minute feature program offering in-depth reports on the major issues facing China today. It airs on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. BJT (02.30 GMT), with a rebroadcast at 11.30 p.m. (15.30 GMT), as well as on Monday at 8.30 a.m. (00.30 GMT) and Friday at 1.30 p.m. (05.30 GMT).)