Massage rewards: Blind footballers in China having time of their lives [Photos]

There are at least 17 million visually impaired people in China, according to the latest available figures from the state Disabled Persons' Federation [Courtesy]

On a sweltering day in eastern China a squad of footballers wearing blindfolds hurtles after a ringing ball, occasionally clattering painfully into each other.

But Jiangsu province's blind football team hardly care -- even when they break the odd bone -- because the sport is a rewarding break from the massage parlours, where many of China's visually impaired population are employed.