Li Mengwen might be far away from her family on Chinese New Year, but the celebration remains just as important to her.
The defender joined the Club in the summer on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion for the 2024/25 campaign in a historic move, as she became West Ham United’s first-ever Chinese player.
The 29-year-old has made 12 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions so far this term, most recently starting at Gaughan Group Stadium as the women’s team defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the Subway® Women’s League Cup quarter-finals.
Mengwen will likely be spending Chinese New Year at Chigwell Construction Stadium on Wednesday evening, as Rehanne Skinner’s side host Liverpool in the fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, and the No26 will hope to add a victory to what will already be a special day for her.
“Chinese New Year is a time to be with your family to celebrate,” she said. “That’s often not possible for me as a footballer because of the schedule that we have, so I will try and see my family beforehand, or we will come together for the mid-autumn festival, which is the traditional festival of harvest.
“I will always call my brother on the day and chat with him. The day after Chinese New Year is my father’s birthday, so I will chat with him on my phone and celebrate.
“There are some Chinese players that are playing here at other clubs in London, so we will meet up around our different schedules and celebrate together. That helps you because it doesn’t make you feel too far away from home.”
The Lunar New Year begins on Wednesday, marking the year of the snake, and Mengwen said many people will be putting a snake, as well as something red, in their windows.
Speaking on other Chinese New Year traditions, the full-back said: “We have a tradition where we send a red envelope [to each other]. When I was young, I would get a red envelope with money inside from my parents, which would make all of us children very happy.
“Obviously, I am far away from my family here in England, but we can use apps like WeChat that have a feature where you can send a red envelope to a group or a person, and that is what me and my family will do.
“Sometimes you get lucky and get more than someone else, so I’m hoping to be lucky this year!
“I will reflect on everything that I have done in the past year, what has been good, where I need to improve.
“My big aim is to make sure that I’m fit and healthy, because that is so important for me as an athlete. I want to be available for every match and every training session, so that is my priority. And then off the pitch, I have goals around continuing to learn English and other little things like that. It really is a good time to reflect and set out your goals for the rest of the year.”
Everyone at West Ham United would like to wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year!
