By MAYA REID

Clearly, China is rooting for the SouthAfricans.

At least that was the case in bars acrossBeijing as crowds coagulated to watch theFIFA World Cup curtain raiser between theRainbow Nation and Mexico on June 11. Thedeafening whoops that erupted when BafanaBafana scored the first goal of the game did notfade quietly into the night, unlike the scatteredcheers for Mexico later on. And though thematch ended in a draw, spirits stayed high.