The excitement surrounding this year's World Cup is resonating across China, even though this country didn't field a team in the tournament.
To that end, CRI's Xiong Siqi hit a popular football restaurant here in Beijing to find out more about Beijing's football culture.
With the 2014 World Cup in its full swing in Brazil, football fans in Beijing have begun their yearly sports revelry. Qianxiyuan Football Fan Restaurant is one of such popular destinations for them.
"We came here for the atmosphere. If we watch TV at home, it can be noisy to others."
"One of my friends introduced this restaurant to me. In my hometown, restaurants with certain subjects are rare. So it's interesting to me."
The restaurant is located at Xicheng district in Beijing among blocks of residential buildings. It welcomes its customers with waving flags of the countries playing in this year's World Cup and a signboard that reads "Historical and Cultural Centre of Football."
Walking into the restaurant, customers are greeted by a mind-boggling array of footballs and T-shirts with top football star's autographs.
Three sections are divided into "Euro League District", "Guoan District" and "Football Fans District."
What's more, each balcony is named after a football club with its decoration imitating the style of the club.
Wang Zhanjun, the manager of the restaurant says even names of the dishes are associated with football.
"All of our dishes are named with sports symbols. For example, we call pig's feet 'shoot'. In that dish, carrots are carved in the shape of a football gate with vegetables on the plate representing the pitch."
Gradually, the restaurant has become an icon among its kind in Beijing. It has entertained a wide range of celebrities in the sports circle.
Qianxiyuan Football Fan Restaurant also has its own football team. Wang said it did very well in the local games.
"Our Qianxiyuan football team has taken part in Beijing league and won a lot of championships, such as Amway Cup, Yanshan Cup, Qiqihaer Cup, etc. I love working here and love to chat with football fans. Working here has become part of my life."
The passion of Chinese football fans always inspires Wang Zhanjun. And now, he has set up a sweet home for the fans who are enchanted by the sport. At the same time, this restaurant also accommodates their football dream.
For CRi, I'm Xiong Siqi.
