A new grassroots soccer league in Jiangsu Province has gone viral, though it is only four months old. The Su Super League, comprised of amateur players who compete in provincial derbies, demonstrates the strong economic links among the 13 cities that field teams. Thanks to narrowing economic disparities between the north and south of the province over the past 40 years, the cities, each with GDP surpassing 400 billion yuan (US$56b) in 2024, can afford to put on the matches. Traditionally demarcated by the Yangtze River, the north, which was underdeveloped until 2000, has caught up with the south since its integration into the province’s coordinated industrial chains. Their highly connected transport constructed over the past few decades allows the passionate and dedicated fans to travel between cities, where cultural and tourist industries have received welcomed boosts.
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