Chinese champion serves up new chapter in Germany

Together crossing borders

The effect was immediately visible at Fan's first home appearance.

"It was like a party for table tennis," Preuss said. "The spectators were amazing, and it was a big show for table tennis."

The Chinese supporters in the stands included some who traveled all the way from China.

One avid supporter known as Zhenzhentangyuaner on Chinese social media platform Weibo said four groups of fans had made the trip for the big day. For some, the entire trip lasted only three days, while others were staying in Germany for eight days — an indication of the level of interest in Fan's new chapter.

Others traveled from across Germany. Huang Yong spent about two and a half hours on a train from Hannover, having previously seen Fan in Saarbruecken when he played there.

"I was very excited, and I also felt very lucky. After all, he's much closer to me now," Huang said.

He added that he hopes Fan will create his "own miracles" and help Borussia continue winning titles in the Bundesliga and in European competitions.

For Ms Su, a Chinese national who has lived in Cologne for almost four years, the move feels even more personal. When Fan played for Saarbruecken, she regularly made journeys of more than two hours to watch him compete. Dusseldorf is now much closer.

Asked what she hopes Fan can bring to his new club, her answer was simple: "I just hope Dongdong (an affectionate nickname fans use for Fan) is happy. That's all."

The enthusiasm is not limited to Chinese fans. Local resident Denis attended the match with his family, despite not usually following the sport.

"It's very exciting to see the Chinese table tennis Olympic champion in my home city," he said, adding that he expects Fan will attract many new followers.

Fan's influence on German club table tennis began before his arrival in Dusseldorf.

His season at 1. FC Saarbruecken dramatically expanded the Bundesliga's visibility, with matches featuring Fan frequently sold out or moved to larger venues. Ticket inquiries and local hotel bookings both increased, and Saarbruecken's following on Weibo grew from around 10,000 to nearly 500,000.

Chinese streaming platforms also embraced European competitions that had previously attracted relatively niche audiences in China. The streaming site Youku even established a dedicated section for Fan's Bundesliga and German Cup matches.

Fan's popularity has even taken German club table tennis onto cinema screens in China. On Aug 29, his German Cup match for Dusseldorf was broadcast live in 56 cinemas nationwide through a collaboration between Youku Sports and China Film.

According to film industry data analysis platform Maoyan Professional, the screenings generated 1.13 million yuan ($167,000) at the box office that day and recorded an occupancy rate of 87.4 percent, despite accounting for just 0.1 percent of cinema screenings.

The unusual experiment demonstrated Fan's remarkable pulling power, and turned an overseas table tennis club match into a shared big-screen experience for Chinese supporters.

Borussia is hoping that momentum will continue.

"Now it's our duty to start a movement for table tennis," Preuss said.

Although the atmosphere at Fan's first home appearance made it feel more like a cup final than a league match, Preuss stressed the journey had just begun.

"It's only a start," he said.