Reporter Liu Xiangyu Auxerre reports Winter in Auxerre is cloudy and sunny, and this small town in central France, with a population of less than 40,000, seems to have been pressed the slow motion button. Only the small boats moored on the Jöne River are reminiscent of the cheerfulness of the place in the spring when the flowers are blooming. "Silence" is the theme of Auxerre this season.

Auxerre have the happiness of the people of the town, it is a place of faith, it has some of the best pastures in the world, and the daily satisfaction of Auxerre is mainly due to fine wine and football – Auxerre Club Ligue 1 is the symbol of the city.

At 8:45 p.m. local time on January 24, the 19th round of Ligue 1 began. As the first match of the round, AJ Auxerre host Saint-Etienne. This is a contest between two promoted teams, because the two teams have accumulated a lot of grievances in the process of fighting each other in recent years.

On the night of the match, almost half of the city's Auxerre – 16,805 fans – flocked to the Abbé Deschamps stadium. The 100-year-old stadium is witnessing another major battle, and at the same time, the atmosphere of the "Year of China" has become the theme of the whole Auxerre on this night.

Chinese company O.R.G. Technology Co., Ltd. bought AJ de AJ in 2016 and brought the team back to Ligue 1, becoming the most stable Chinese-funded club in the top five leagues. AJERRE Club is now full of Chinese elements. This match was AJ Auxerre's last home game before the Chinese New Year, and the club continued the tradition of the past by celebrating the "Chinese New Year" in Ligue 1.

Traditional Chinese events were staged on the day of the match, with dragon and lion dances inside and outside the stadium to delight Auxerre fans. Lacquer fans and calligraphy experiences are also arranged in the box. The club also specially invited a purple clay pot master from Yixing, Jiangsu Province to make purple clay pots on site, so that fans can understand traditional Chinese culture while watching the game.

There were also faces from China in the stands. With the launch of AJ CELERRE's youth training program in China, seven young players from China are currently training and playing at AJERRE.

For this Chinese year competition, the AYERRE team also made a special design. The players' uniforms are written in Chinese, and a badge with the Year of the Snake logo is printed on the chest, symbolizing wisdom, growth and health. The cover of the club's magazine also used Chinese characters: "Happy New Year, the snake is running".

Zhou Yunjie, chairman of the board of directors of AJ Club and chairman of O.R.G Technology Co., Ltd., watched the game with his family. Before the game, Zhou Yunjie gave an official interview to Ligue 1 on the sidelines, talking about the importance of AJ Auxerre's history, the performance of the season and the cooperation with the club's leadership, and sent Chinese New Year greetings to all French and Chinese fans. A competition with a strong Chinese New Year color was broadcast live in France.

Amid the cheering and singing of the fans, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the first half, with AJ Auxerre scoring the first goal and Saint-Etienne equalising in first-half stoppage time. In the second half, Auxerre had the advantage, but unfortunately could not take advantage of the opportunity, and the two sides finally drew 1-1. After this campaign, AJERRE is in 11th place in Ligue 1.

IT IS WORTH MENTIONING THAT AFTER THIS GAME, THE CLUB AUXERRE WILL AUCTION SOME OF THE PLAYERS' JERSEYS, AND THE PROCEEDS FROM THE AUCTION WILL BE DONATED TO THE HORIZON AJA FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE PUBLIC WELFARE. Matches like this in China have become a tradition for AJ AYERRE, and AYER will further strengthen exchanges with China in the future to help the development of Chinese football.