Women's soccer still leads way

Before I walked into Wuhan National Fitness Center on Monday afternoon, I never expected to find a vacant seat at the main soccer pitch as a full house of raucous fans wildly cheered China's Bayi women's soccer squad.

It's not the national team, but the Bayi squad, which trounced the US 4-0 on Monday to advance to the semifinals of the 7th Military World Games, received the same reception as the vaunted 'Steel Roses'.

Most impressive was the diversity of the fans - from toddlers who cheered along with their parents to elders with the Chinese flag painted on their faces. There were also many People's Liberation Army soldiers on hand to support their team.