The Chinese Spider is on his way
QUEEN’S PARK superfan Shiju Ji will make an 11,200-mile round trip from his home in Shanghai this week to enjoy the club’s 150-year anniversary celebrations.
The former Glasgow School of Art student fell in love with the Spiders while studying in the city.
And although China has become a highly-paid destination for a number of high-profile players to boost the domestic game, for Ji (below) there is only one football team that matters.
He explained: “In December, 2012 I watched a game between Queen’s Park and Rangers on TV.
“The commentators gave a brief introduction about Queen’s Park and I decided to search for more about this totally strange football club.
“Their long history and amateur status really attracted me, and when I received my offer from Glasgow School of Art shortly afterwards, I knew I would have a chance to follow them.”
“When I arrived in Glasgow, visiting Hampden was top of my agenda. Though I had seen many photos, I was so excited that I almost cried the first time I stood in front of it.
“The next thing I did was to get a Queen’s Park season ticket.
“I travelled home and away following Queen’s during my time in Glasgow.”
Since returning to China two years ago, Ji has kept tabs on the club.
“It’s not easy to be a supporter of a Scottish lower-league team in China,” he admitted.
“Without live TV, the only thing I can do is to follow Twitter late every Saturday night and then wait two days for the highlights on YouTube. My friends cannot understand my passion.
“The biggest football magazine in China interviewed me about Queen’s Park, and I told them that more Chinese football fans should notice how amazing Scottish football is.
“Some Chinese media published the picture of Sir Alex Ferguson wearing the club’s 150year anniversary shirt and that got some attention, but not a lot.”
Despite the lack of knowledge in his homeland, Ji and his wife will be at Hampden next weekend.
He said: “We couldn’t miss this milestone for the greatest club in the world.”