Retired schoolteacher devotes life to Aresnal

Liu celebrates the victory of Arsenal in the English Football Association cup final last month at Wembley Stadium, London. Photo provided to China Daily

She says, her husband who isn't a soccer fan but indulges her "soccer addiction", asks her not to yell in joy, especially while watching matches at night, should Arsenal score a goal.

Liu's other interest is theater, especially performances by her favorite actor Chen Daoming. At a theater, she once saw a member of the audience wearing a T-shirt with Arsenal's logo on it.

"I just like them but I'm not a real Arsenal fan", was the stranger's explanation about the shirt, she says. The answer prompted her to leave the play and rush home to watch an Arsenal match that was about to begin.

Last year, Liu's older son helped her launch an account on micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, with the handle qiangshou liunainai, or "gunner granny Liu", that immediately attracted more than 1,000 followers.

In May, Liu's older son gave her a plane ticket to travel to London to watch Arsenal at the FA cup final. Tom Fox, Arsenal's chief commercial officer, is said to have extended her a warm welcome at the Emirate Stadium, home to the "gunners".

After she posted pictures of her visit, her Weibo account drew an additional 3,000 followers, with many young Chinese fans of Arsenal looking up to her in admiration. "I think every 'gunner' fan is touched by 'granny Liu' and what she's done has shown how much we can do," Deng Fan, a 29-year-old Arsenal fan in Beijing, says.

Zhan Jun, well-known for his commentaries during English Premier League tournaments, says: "Liu's story has effectively demonstrated the fact that you can never buy class."