It was about three o'clock in the morning and Beijing was quiet. Suddenly the stillness was broken by the sounds of cheering and applause. It came from all-night bars, outdoor cafes, communal dormitories and private homes.
Croatia had just scored against France in the World Cup. Because of the time difference, most World Cup games do not begin on Chinese television until 2 a.m. But Beijing has gone soccer mad and as football fever peaked this week, half the city, it seems, stayed up all night to watch both semi-finals, and will do so again in the early hours of Monday morning for the France-Brazil final.
Yesterday there were an awful lot of bleary-eyed Beijingers struggling to get through the day after watching France beat Croatia. One accountant in the Chinese capital said: "Luckily, I share my office with a good friend who covered for me when I came in late." The assistant manager of a small hotel said he had given up his night bonuses to watch the games. Many soccer fans crowded into the Emperor Entertainment City to watch on big screens and try to predict the final score. Those who guessed correctly got prizes of Tshirts and watches.
In Bar Street in the Sanlitun district the proprietors made a killing as capacity crowds gathered in the early hours to watch the France-Croatia game in all-night inns.
One owner who hired a bigscreen set said: "I usually make 3,000 yuan (£250) a day but when there is a World Cup match I take in 5,000 yuan."
A customer remarked that people were not interested in politics but everyone understood football and had an opinion. In the streets there is a brisk market in World Cup paraphernalia, ranging from watches and sunglasses to tricolour soccer balls and a giant stuffed Footix, the France 98 mascot.
Calum MacLeod, a Beijing-based consultant who also commentates on English soccer for Beijing Television, said recently that interest in soccer in China has exploded in the last five years. "It's always been the global game, the people's game. It's so simple and so easy to get passionate about."
Chinese fans dream one day of having a team good enough to qualify for the World Cup and are placing their hopes of long-term progress in the Marlboro league which has 14 teams. Since 1993 has been allowed to use foreign players to raise the level of the game. Newspapers in Beijing reflect the public frenzy and are publishing soccer supplements in what the China Economic Daily describes as a circulation "war without gunpowder". The Beijing Youth Daily now holds the front page - a novelty in the Chinese press - until the last match results come in from France.
Chinabyte, a mainland server, launched its own colourful World Cup website in the run-up to the competition and the official People's Daily reported that with soccer fever reaching a high pitch, the Chinabyte website is active day and night.
The excitement of the World Cup can be dangerous. The Guangzhou Daily reported that a 60-year-old man, who had taken to staying up all night to see matches, died of a heart attack watching Brazil's 3-0 win over Morocco. His wife heard a shout as Brazil scored and found him dead on the floor.
