Yuexiushan Stadium – stadium description

Historically the oldest in the city, geographically the most centrally-located. The stadium built into the Yuexiu Hill has quite a story to tell. It was built in just half a year in 1950, when authorities decided to located a sports stadium in the dense heart of Guangzhou. With very limited resources choice was made to fit stands into a natural horseshoe of the hill.

The outcome of that decision is visible to this day as all stands are extremely steep with a 45 degree slope. The horseshoe’s size also proved problematic in the long run, because the stadium today cannot have a full running track (8 lanes), it’s only big enough for 4 lanes.

The steep and compact stands have a dark side to them. On November 7 1957 fans trying to enter the stadium’s top rows from outside pushed those before them down, causing a human avalanche. 33 people were dead and 57 injured under the pile of bodies. Another tragedy happened in 1972, also with casualties, but we’re not certain of what happened or how many lives were lost.

Initially built as the mentioned horseshoe with east end open, the stands were later enclosed with an office building, blocking the spectacular look down onto Guangzhou’s downtown. The view outside is also obstructed by newly-built roofs on top of south and north sides.

Despite its athletic layout, the stadium is known for passionate football atmosphere. This is owed to the incline and compact size of stands, which facilitate singing in unison and creating noise.