Chinese fans have watched soccer players take the World Cup field with their calligraphic tattoos with a mixture of appreciation and merriment, Wang Kaihao reports from in front of his TV.

China's national soccer team once again failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup this summer. But fanatic Chinese fans who have stayed up all night - eyes glued to star-studded stadia in Brazil - have seen one sight that's very familiar.

Many top players like to show off their masculinity with tattoos in Chinese characters. Their inked beliefs on their necks, arms - or wherever - can be entertaining or even a little bizarre for Chinese spectators cheering in front of TVs on the other side of the Earth.