As the 2014 FIFA World Cup nears, Chinese fans have secured their tickets and are getting ready to take a trip of a lifetime. Xu Lin reports.

When Shen Zhengling, 45, from Shanghai, secured two tickets to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the diehard soccer fan could barely contain his excitement.

"It's very different to watch the World Cup on TV and in the stadium. Just imagine, we are there as witnesses in soccer's heartland," says Shen, who works in sales.