World Cup Came to An End

With Spain's triumphant victory over the Netherlands, the 2010 World cup has officially come to an end. During the past 30 days, in the football crazed land of China, the World cup has become not only just a game but also a social phenomenon. Although China did not qualify for the world's most prestigious soccer tournament, China surely has the largest number of soccer fans in the world. Millions of Chinese fans were drawn to the TV for the games regardless of the time differences with South Africa.

Damin has more.

Reporter:

In all the big cities in China, bars, restaurants, and downtown squares, big flat screens projecting World Cup games have attracted thousands of cheering fans. Han Ling is one of the countless number of hard core soccer fans who spent many sleepless nights roaring for their teams, drinking, cheering and whistling. As a big fan of the Spainish team, she bursted into laughter and craze when she saw Spain finally took off.

"For this World Cup, I haven't missed one single match of Spain. I have been feeling a lot of pressure in my heart watching the games, because I want Spain to always win. My time schedule has also been upside down, but I think it's worthwhile. It's a true feeling of happiness, the same as when you are really working hard on one thing and then succeed, It's magical! I am going to miss it!"

The World Cup has also brought a boom of business to many bars and restaurant, as all 64 matches of the World Cup were broadcast live on television and on the internet. Some business owners even claimed that the tournament brought them at least 50% more profit than usual.

Liu Weihua, who has been watching soccer matches for over 20 years said that the World Cup has brought him a lot of joy, but it's a pity that China did not qualify. He hopes China would appear in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"I have two hopes, the first one is, of course, Brazil wins, because I think Brazil is the best team in the world. The second is that I hope China would show up in the World Cup field in 4 years."

Although the Chinese soccer fans do not have much faith in their own national team, they still wish that China will one day make an impact on the World Cup.

For CRI, I am Damin.