When it comes to Chongqing, a municipality spun off from the Sichuan plate, there are many similarities with our Sichuanese compatriots, especially the love of hot pots. However, the climatic differences are significant, with Sichuan's summers cool and pleasant while Chongqing's are sweltering. Chongqing people regard spicy flavors as fiery, while Sichuan people call them spicy. The city, because of its unique geography, has bred a resilient spirit of climbing to the top, unassuming but full of strength. Once a corner of Sichuan Province, it has now leapfrogged to become the country's fourth-largest municipality, with rapid economic development that leaves other regions in the dust. Chongqing's architecture skillfully utilizes the mountainous terrain, with roads running between buildings, creating a unique picture of the city.
Turning to talk about Chongqing soccer, it does not do anything to publicize, does not have the bravado of Sichuan Quanxing, and no other teams like the flash in the pan of brilliance. Chongqing soccer, like Chongqing Lifan, has been shouldering the burden of western soccer since 1997, and has been sticking to the battlefield of the Chinese League and Chinese Super League for more than twenty years. During these twenty years, Chongqing Lifan has hovered back and forth between the Chinese Super League and the lower leagues, hitting rock bottom a few times, but always managing to turn a dangerous situation into a successful one, without tasting the pain of relegation. On the brink of relegation, they have also purchased the shells of Chinese Super League teams, and have been able to substitute into the Super League due to problems with other teams. The chaos of the Chinese Super League seems to have no trace in Chongqing Lifan.
Chongqing players are mainly pragmatic, such as Wei Xin, Wu Qing, Feng Jin, Huang Xiyang, etc. With their solid skills and toughness, they have created the image of Chongqing soccer as "the undefeatable little strong man". In contrast, Sichuan soccer is inferior, although Wang Jianlin and other Sichuan people have a strong interest in soccer, but their investment in soccer is sporadic. The owners of private teams such as Chongqing Lifan and Henan Jianye are the talents that China's professional soccer leagues really need. In the mature Western soccer market, a century-old club relies on ideas rather than money. Why is it so difficult to maintain even a twenty-year club in China?
We salute this never-say-die Chongqing Lifan team.
