Chasing in on golden tickets

For soccer fan Wang Jixiang, few things rival the thrill of flying more than 1,000 kilometers to watch a live match — especially when it doubles as a family getaway.

During China's eight-day "Golden Week" holiday, incorporating National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival, Wang and his family left their home in Liaoning province for Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to catch a highly-anticipated playoff quarterfinal in the wildly popular Jiangsu Football City League, dubbed the "Jiangsu Super League" or "suchao".

"The game was absolutely worth it!" Wang said, still beaming after witnessing Nanjing's penalty shootout victory over Lianyungang on Saturday. "It's our first trip built around a soccer match, and it's really unforgettable."

Launched this year, the amateur soccer tournament, which pits 13 cities from across Jiangsu province against one another, has taken China's grassroots soccer scene by storm.

Over the recent eight-day holiday, four knockout matches were scheduled, with the final set to take place in November.

The league's popularity rivals that of professional competitions. Saturday's match alone drew 61,355 spectators, setting a new attendance record for amateur soccer in China. Across 13 rounds of regular-season play, total attendance has exceeded 2.11 million, averaging 27,000 per game.

But the league's allure goes beyond the soccer pitch. Its matches have become magnets for travelers, inspiring fans to add "watching a game" to their holiday itineraries — or even to choose destinations based on where the next match is being played.

"Watching the match was a key reason we came to Nanjing," Wang said. "We're also taking time to explore the city. And the game ticket even gets us discounts at scenic spots and hotels."

According to data from Nanjing's commerce department, the city welcomed 14.06 million tourists in the first five days of the holiday, up 13.4 percent year-on-year. Many of them, like Wang, listed a Jiangsu Super League match on their must-see list.