A couple weeks back, this reporter made the trip north to Changchun for Beijing Guoan’s clash against Changchun Yatai, a great trip that resulted in Guoan’s first away victory of the season. It was an important win for the club, but for those that made the trip it was as much about the match as it was camaraderie among compatriats.
Chinese supporter culture, in many ways, is still in its infancy and supporter groups grow and die every year. The more established groups tend to have a good relationship with their counterparts across the country and when they travel to away matches, it offers a chance to meet up over a meal and lots of beer. Typically as the table fills up with more bottles of beer, things get more wild, with fans singing songs back and forth. This is what happened when Beijing’s Yulinjun (Imperial Army) met up with Changchun’s Cheng Feng (Orange Wind).
The videos below are from that trip to Changchun, a very unique look into what goes on, as the number of foreigners who’ve experienced it can probably be counted on one hand. It’s also another endorsement for you, the expats of China, to support your local club, join the fun (and alcoholism). Unfortunately, neither video is perfect (the first offers a good picture but horrible audio, the second offers improved audio but a worse picture). Enjoy!
by bcheng
