'Su Chao' transforms Wuxi into festival of football and flavor

Beneath neon lights and the glow of a towering outdoor screen, a voice rang out - "Goal for Huai'an!" The shout cut through the air, momentarily halting Wuxi local Yuan Yijun mid-bite, her hands suspending a plump crayfish midair.

"Suddenly," Yuan laughed, "even my beloved crayfish didn't taste as good."

On July 20, the 1.38-kilometer-long Hubin Commercial Street in Wuxi's Binhu District, east China's Jiangsu Province, turned into a stadium of its own. It was lined not with bleachers, but with steaming night market stalls, rows of folding chairs and hungry, hyped-up fans.

Lu Zhiyong (1st L) of Changzhou goes for a header against Nanjing during the 2025 Jiangsu Football City League in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province on June 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Bo)

The Sunday night saw Wuxi host Huai'an in a much-anticipated match of the wildly popular Chinese grassroots league known as the Su Super League, or "Su Chao." Online, fans dubbed the derby the "Honey peach vs. Crayfish," a playful reference to the two cities' culinary claims to fame.

"For us, eating crayfish is our own way of cheering for the Wuxi team," Yuan said, gesturing to the pool of chili oil and glistening carapaces before her.

"Honestly, I'm not even a hardcore fan. My friends and I came here to hang out, snack and soak up the vibe. It's all about the ambience," she added.

Inside the stadium, chants rattled the rafters. Outside, every goal lit up the squares and parks. On social media, memes and banter about the quirky faceoff spread like wildfire. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup remaining a distant glimmer on the horizon, "Su Chao" has already ignited a football fever in China.

Since its kickoff in May, the city-based amateur league has drawn staggering attention, with peak single-game attendance surpassing 60,000, over a million fans scrambling for tickets each round and short video platform impressions soaring past 10 billion.

The July 20 match coincided with the opening of Hubin Commercial Street's summer shopping festival, infusing the street with an almost orchestral tempo. Over 370 renowned eateries lined the street, but none drew more eager crowds than the competing crayfish stands.

"This street is famous for its crayfish-fueled night market," said Ji Chenjie, deputy general manager of a company running the commercial street. "Tonight, we counted nearly 40,000 visitors. Many merchants took it upon themselves to ride the 'Su Chao' wave. Some even set up pop-up stalls in whatever open space was left."

Even for the vendors, team loyalty was a delicious dilemma. "As someone from Huai'an now doing business in Wuxi, I had mixed feelings," admitted Sun Wei, a crayfish shop owner originally from Huai'an's Xuyi County, which is renowned for its crayfish industry.

Wuxi narrowly lost 2-1 in the Sunday clash, but Sun was far from disappointed. "The city may have lost on the pitch, but it has won in business. I'm all smiles."

Residents and tourists enjoy food while watching a game at Hubin Commercial Street in Binhu District, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. (Photo by He Leijing)

According to Ji, the commercial complex has been transformed into a vast, pulsing network of viewing points, with three enormous LED screens beamed matches live and over 40 shops streaming the game indoors. "Even if you're dining inside, just glance up, and you're still part of the action," she said. "It's full immersion."

The "Su Chao" boom has also inspired a flood of creative merchandising. "We're blending football with food, local crafts and street cultures. Everything from themed menus to local handicrafts and folk art is popping up," Ji added. "It's about sport, but also about storytelling and culture."

Elsewhere in Jiangsu, similar scenes repeat nightly, as the grassroots league is sparking new life into summer nightlife economies. In Wuxi alone, city authorities have designated 43 public viewing sites for fans to gather, ranging from bustling plazas and parks to neighborhood squares.

For visiting Huai'an fan Chen Hongzhi, watching the match in Wuxi was only part of a longer holiday. "We watched the game, then took the kids to explore the Ling Shan scenic area," he said. "They even gave out free peaches to our Huai'an fans! We're staying a few more days to visit some other attractions."

Statistics show that the Ling Shan scenic area drew 40,000 tourists over the weekend, over 60 percent of whom came from Huai'an.

"Winning or losing in the league doesn't matter that much," Chen said. "What matters is that people are part of something - part of a city, part of a story, part of the joy."

"I've been a football fan for years, but I never thought I'd see football become so woven into our everyday life," he reflected. "It's something new. It's almost moving."