On a summer's day in the city of Suzhou, about 40,000 people crowded into a stadium while thousands more gathered by public screens to watch China's hottest sport -- amateur football.
A balm for cynical fans drained by years of corruption and ineptitude in the professional game, the amateur leagues springing up around China have drawn millions of viewers online, boosted domestic tourism to lesser-known locales and sparked good-natured rivalry between cities.
