Suzhou is one of China’s most important electronics manufacturing centres. But who cares about that? On June 29th nothing was more important to the city than its team beating nearby Yangzhou in a football match. The fierce rivalry stretches back more than 1,000 years to when the cities competed for pre-eminence along the Grand Canal. For centuries they also sought to outdo each other’s sublime gardens. Suzhou, the larger and richer of the two, was victorious during the Song dynasty. It continued its winning streak in 2025, comfortably beating Yangzhou 3-0.