A comic depicting the fifth round of the 2025 Jiangsu Football City League, featuring a match between Changzhou and Nanjing. Changzhou is renowned for its dinosaur-themed park, while Nanjing is famous for its signature dish — salted duck Photo: IC PHOTO

Language and script have always played an irreplaceable role in the evolution of society. Recently, the grassroots tournament Jiangsu Football City League—popularly known as the “Su Super League” or “Suchao”—has garnered widespread attention and acclaim. Its success goes beyond the realm of sports; it stands as a compelling example of how language can empower the dissemination of regional culture. Through a unique discourse system that balances both competition and collaboration, “Suchao” has established a new paradigm for regional cultural communication.

Differentiated expressions in regional identity

Within the discourse of “Suchao,” the competitive reconstruction of historical and cultural symbols serves as a crucial pathway for articulating regional identity. Consider the rivalry between Xuzhou and Suqian—framed as a contemporary reenactment of the ancient “Chu-Han contention” [a power struggle for control of China between Liu Bang, later founder of the Han Dynasty, and Xiang Yu]. Xuzhou, the birthplace of Han culture, boasts abundant Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) relics. Suqian, by contrast, is the hometown of Xiang Yu (232–202 BCE), the “Hegemon-King of Western Chu.” When these two teams face off, the “Chu-Han contention” narrative intertwines historical antagonism with the tactical drama of modern football, producing a highly charged cultural storyline.

This form of competitive narrative essentially represents a contemporary reconfiguration of historical and cultural resources by cities. From a semiotic perspective, the “Chu-Han contention” transcends its status as a mere match title to become a powerful cultural signifier. Through sporting discourse, Xuzhou and Suqian continuously reinforce the unique features of their cultural signifiers: Xuzhou reinforcing the grandeur and fortitude of Han culture, Suqian emphasizing the romantic tragedy of the Chu legacy. Netizens from both cities engage in lively debates on social media about the origins of the Chu-Han cultures and their representative figures, thereby extending the reach of these cultural symbols.

A similar pattern is seen in the competition between Suzhou and Wuxi, expressed through the narrative of “Wu Culture vs. Commercial Civilization.” Team slogans evoke both the legacy of King Fuchai of Wu (r. 495–473 BCE) and stories of modern industrial entrepreneurship, framing the match as a cultural contest between the ancient city of Suzhou and the commerce-driven identity of Wuxi represented by the Taihu Business Community. This framing significantly advances the broader dissemination of the diverse cultural connotations of Wu culture.

“Suchao” discourse also involves the competitive shaping of urban cultural labels. According to agenda-setting theory in communication studies, media shapes public perception and attention by emphasizing specific issues. For instance, in covering “Suchao,” the media employed competitive expressions such as “Salted Duck vs. Honey Peaches” to spotlight the most representative culinary cultures of Nanjing and Wuxi, thereby transforming them into symbolic markers of urban cultural identity. Nanjing’s salted duck evokes the everyday charm of the ancient capital. Wuxi’s peaches symbolize the sweetness and affluence of the Jiangnan region, the area south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Netizens exchange cooking tips and tasting notes, sparking playful topics such as “salted duck paired with honey peaches,” thereby enhancing the circulation of urban cultural labels.

Another example is the “battle for the origin of Huaiyang cuisine” between Yangzhou and Taizhou. Yangzhou highlights its famed “three knives” culinary tradition [referring to the chef’s knife, the pedicure knife, and the barber’s razor—three iconic tools associated with the traditional industries and cultures in Yangzhou], while Taizhou promotes itself as the “home of dim sum brunch.” Both cities leverage short video platforms to showcase local delicacies such as soup dumplings with crab roe filling and blanched shredded tofu, turning the league into a gastronomic hotspot dubbed “A Bite of Suchao” and enabling culinary culture labels to transcend regional boundaries. In addition, the “Kesi (a silk tapestry artform) Trophy” in Suzhou and the “Chu-Han Armor” team jersey in Xuzhou further demonstrate how cities use competitive discourse to craft distinct cultural identities.

These comparative expressions, grounded in everyday life, are particularly effective at evoking emotional resonance and drawing public interest. The competitive discourse of “Suchao” not only enriches the cultural dimension of the event but also accelerates the dissemination of urban identity markers.

Co-development of regional cultures

The discourse system of “Suchao” also fosters a collaborative network for regional cultural exchange. For instance, the popular term “seafood brotherhood” links coastal cities like Lianyungang and Yancheng through shared maritime culture. These cities use the platform of the league to highlight seafood cuisine, fishing customs, and related traditions, creating a sense of cultural community.

From the perspective of social network theory, the “seafood brotherhood” forms a networked node of cultural exchange: Lianyungang is known for its abundant seafood varieties, while Yancheng offers distinctive cooking techniques. Together, they attract cultural elements from other cities. On social media platforms such as Douyin and Weibo, the “seafood brotherhood” topic encompasses not only information related to the matches but also showcases and facilitates the exchange of maritime cultures from various regions. When Nantong joined the alliance, it brought with it the narrative of “Hometown of Zhang Jian + Seafood Port,” co-launching a “Yellow Sea Seafood Map” with Lianyungang. Through livestreams connecting local fishers, the event has facilitated shared storytelling around fishing practices and seafood cuisine, fostering an intercity collaboration chain for cultural communication and elevating maritime culture from a local to a regional brand.

“Suchao” also enables cities to pool communication resources, creating a powerful synergy. All 13 cities in Jiangsu participate through their integrated media centers, building an omnimedia reporting platform where each platform leverages its own strengths for optimal communication effects: Traditional TV provides professional coverage, short video platforms share highlights, and social media drives interactive discourse.

This model aligns with the theory of Integrated Marketing Communications in communication studies. By unifying communication objectives, it consolidates the strengths of different media platforms to achieve multidimensional and multilayered dissemination of information. A vivid example is the viral meme in which some strokes are removed from the city name Changzhou (常州) each time the team loses a match, reducing Changzhou (常州) to Diaozhou (吊州), then Jinzhou (巾州), and eventually simply “川.” This sparked a wave of collaborative and interactive storytelling, with netizens from other cities with the character “州” humorously offering to “lend strokes” to restore Changzhou’s name. This forms cross-platform relay communication spanning from social media to short-form videos and eventually to in-depth media analysis.

Another collaborative campaign involved Zhenjiang and Huai’an jointly promoting canal culture. Zhenjiang contributed a documentary, while Huai’an developed an interactive game. The two cities cross-promoted each other’s content, expanding their audience beyond the 18–35 age group to reach those over 45, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of media integration. This model of cross-platform relay communication allows regional culture to permeate different demographics and media ecosystems, enhancing both reach and impact.

Core logic of regional cultural communication

Within the “Suchao” discourse system, competition and collaboration are not opposing forces, but interdependent and mutually reinforcing elements. Competition injects energy and drives cities to mine their unique cultural features, while collaboration provides a platform for these cultural elements to develop in concert. For example, Nanjing and Suzhou engage in a competitive narrative as “cultural capitals”—Nanjing promoting its identity as the capital of six dynasties in Chinese history, and Suzhou emphasizing its millennia-old garden culture. Simultaneously, their respective tourism departments launched a joint cultural itinerary—the “Two Cities of Jiangnan Culture” tour—linking landmarks like the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and the Humble Administrator’s Garden. Through a model of “cultural rivalry + joint promotion,” the initiative highlights individual urban identities while amplifying the broader appeal of Jiangnan culture. This dialectical relationship between competition and collaboration enables regional cultures to maintain their distinct identities while achieving co-development.

The “Suchao” discourse system establishes a dynamic balance between competition and collaboration through institutional design. Match rules and communication strategies encourage cities to integrate distinctive cultural elements, while cultural exchange programs and shared platforms foster deeper cooperation. For instance, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism launched a “Suchao Cultural Tourism Route,” aligning the league with regional tourism development to achieve both cultural and economic benefits.

The “Suchao” discourse system exemplifies how the interplay of competition and collaboration can decode the core logic of regional cultural communication. While competition sharpens cultural distinctiveness, collaboration enables integration and mutual development. The dynamic balance between these forces ensures the sustainability of cultural dissemination. These cases demonstrate that language is more than a vehicle for information—it is a strategic tool for cultural transmission.

Going forward, innovation in discursive expression and optimization of communication strategies will be essential. By tapping into the communicative potential of language, we can construct discourse systems that are both competitive and collaborative, thereby activating regional cultural resources and promoting deeper integration between cultural dissemination and social development.

Ma Chunhua is a professor from the School of Journalism and Communication at Luoyang Normal University.

Edited by REN GUANHONG