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0Erinome: Hello dear friends, today we are going to talk about a super hot topic in China recently - the "Su Chao" League! Have you heard about it? It's the Jiangsu Provincial City Football League, but people call it "Su Chao" like the Scottish Premier League, haha.
Enceladus: Oh right! I saw so many videos about it on Douyin. The views even broke 100 million! That's crazy for a local football league, wow.
Erinome: Exactly! And the matches are totally packed. Like, the tickets were only 10 yuan at first, but now some are sold for 200-500 yuan. Can you believe that?
Enceladus: No way! Why is it so popular? Is the football skill really that good?
Erinome: Hmm, not exactly. Most players are part-time, but the spirit is super high! You know what's funnier? The cities in Jiangsu are all roasting each other with funny slogans. Like Nanjing said "Game first, friendship 14th" because there are 13 cities, haha.
Enceladus: Oh right! I saw that! And Changzhou was losing a lot, so people changed their city name step by step. First "Diao Zhou", then "Jin Zhou", now even "Shu Zhou" (just a vertical line), like a paramecium! Oh no, that's so mean but funny.
Erinome: Haha, poor Changzhou! Their体育局 even had to respond, saying there are 9 more rounds. But netizens joked, "Do they have more strokes to lose?"
Enceladus: What about Xuzhou team? The news said they played really hard. They drew 1-1 with Yancheng on May 11th, right?
Erinome: Yes! In the second round, they conceded a goal early but still dominated in shots, passes and possession. People are cheering for them a lot.
Enceladus: And the city rivalries are so intense! Like Nanjing vs Suzhou. They fought online before the match. Nanjing said "We have an airport!" and Suzhou replied "I want to be the boss now". Then the match ended 0-0, and both said "We didn't lose! We kept our dignity!"
Erinome: That's classic! It's like a Jiangsu version of "Empresses in the Palace". Even the文旅 and food joined in. Salted duck (Nanjing's specialty) and hairy crabs (Suzhou's) were "fighting" in short videos, haha.
Enceladus: Why are the cities so competitive? Is it because of economy?
Erinome: Exactly! Jiangsu is special. All 13 cities are in China's top 100 cities. Even some counties like Kunshan have GDP higher than many cities! So they all think they're the best, you know? They even compete for high-speed rail stations and airports.
Enceladus: So the football league just became another battlefield? That's smart! The government didn't expect it to be this popular. First match only 5,000 people came, now stadiums are full with 16,000!
Erinome: Yeah! And it's not just about football. People go for the fun and city pride. Like, Changzhou fans said "We lost because we value friendship first!" or "I'm from Liyang, not Changzhou, so it's not my problem!" Haha, that's so relatable.
Enceladus: The slogans are hilarious too. Like "Support Xuzhou in history, Nanjing in politics, Zhenjiang in geography..." They tried to support everyone, so no one gets mad. So diplomatic!
Erinome: And "During the 'civil war', no foreign guests" - meaning Jiangsu people are having fun among themselves. So many people want to visit Jiangsu now because of this, wow.
Enceladus: Do you think other provinces will copy this? Like, maybe a "Yu Chao" (Henan) or "Yue Chao" (Guangdong)?
Erinome: Maybe! But Jiangsu is unique because all cities are strong and equal. Other provinces usually have one main city. Like Guangdong has Guangzhou and Shenzhen, but Jiangsu has 13 "bosses", haha.
Enceladus: So the key is trust? People believe the matches are real, no fake games. That's why they care so much.
Erinome: Yes! No one thinks their city team will throw the game. So the passion is real. Even if the skill isn't top, the feeling is like World Cup!
Enceladus: And it's good for the economy too. Restaurants, hotels, travel - all got a boost. Nanjing and Suzhou's外卖 platforms even promoted salted duck and crabs together, haha.
Erinome: Exactly! The 0-0 draw between Nanjing and Suzhou was the best result. Both can say "We didn't lose!" So everyone's happy. That's the magic of Su Chao.
Enceladus: I love how it's not just about winning. It's about having fun and city love. Like, Changzhou lost 3 games, but everyone's laughing with them, not at them.
Erinome: Yeah! And the media is having a blast. Newspapers and official accounts are all roasting each other. Even the government joined in the fun, putting jokes on big screens.
Enceladus: So, what's next for Su Chao? More matches, more memes?
Erinome: Definitely! There are 9 more rounds. I bet Changzhou will try to "Northern Expedition" again, and Taihu "Three Fools" (Suzhou, Changzhou, Wuxi) will fight to get out of the bottom. It's going to be more interesting!
Enceladus: I hope Xuzhou team can do well. They have a tough spirit. Let's cheer for them!
