Fujian league attracts cross-Strait players

Team Xiamen and Team Jinmen exchange gifts before a friendly match in Xiamen, Fujian province, on July 5. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]

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The Fujian city soccer league is inviting Taiwan players to compete on the Chinese mainland, and welcoming residents from across the Strait to enjoy the matches firsthand to deepen compatriot affinities and bring hearts closer together.

Representing Fujian province's nine cities and the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, 10 teams and nearly 500 amateur players are competing in the tournament, which will conclude with the final in October.

To boost cross-Strait integration, Fujian — the primary ancestral home for Taiwan compatriots — allows every participating team to add two Taiwan players to its roster. By August, 19 Taiwan players had joined different city teams, according to the Fujian provincial administration of sport.

Data show that more than 1,500 people from Taiwan have attended matches across Fujian, and that the league serves as an active catalyst for deepening cross-Strait people-to-people exchanges.

Ni Pei-hsu, 24, from Taiwan, joined Fuzhou's soccer club in late June after learning about the recruitment online and was drawn by the massive crowds. It's his first time playing on the mainland.