Central Stadium

The former site of the central stadium is located in Nanjing Institute of physical education, Xiaolingwei, Xuanwu District, Nanjing. It is the largest stadium in the Far East during the period of the Republic of China.

Central Stadium

The central stadium is located in Nanjing Institute of physical education, dachemen, Xuanwu District, Nanjing. It is the largest stadium in China during the period of the Republic of China and the largest stadium in Asia. The central stadium covers an area of 1000 mu and costs more than 1.4 million yuan. It can accommodate 60000 spectators at a time. The central building is a track and field stadium. All the stands around it can accommodate more than 35000 spectators. It was the largest stadium in the Far East at that time.

After the Fourth National Games in 1930, the national government decided to build a central stadium in Nanjing as the base for the National Games, and designated a large area of land in the south of Linggu Temple within the boundary of Zhongshan cemetery as the stadium Address.

In 1931, the foundation of the central stadium was officially laid. It was designed by Guan Songsheng and Yang Tingbao, the Engineering Department of Jitai, and built by Liyuan construction company. By the end of August, the main project had been basically completed. All the projects are of reinforced concrete structure and decorated with traditional Chinese patterns. The main stands of import and export adopt the architectural style of Chinese archway, and successfully hosted the Fifth National Games in 1933. In 2006, the former site of Nanjing central stadium was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council. In December 2017, it was selected into the list of "the second batch of Chinese 20th century architectural heritage".

Construction background

Before 1949, China held seven national games. In 1930, after the fourth national sports Congress was held, Chiang Kai Shek proposed to build a large-scale central stadium in Nanjing as the base for the national sports Congress.

In April 1930, the national government organized a preparatory committee to prepare for the national sports conference held in October 1931. Lin Sen, he Yingqin, Zhu Peide, Song Ziwen, Wang Zhengting, Jiang Menglin, Liu Ruiheng, Wu Tiecheng and Wei Daoming were appointed as the preparatory members, and Lin Sen was recommended as the standing member to preside over the affairs of the conference. Xia Guangyu, general director of the cemetery management committee, was appointed as the director In charge of specific affairs. The Preparatory Committee plans to build a stadium. As designated by the State Council, the site of the National Games Stadium will be 1200 mu of land within the boundary of Zhongshan Mausoleum garden and in the south of Linggu Temple. This is the later central stadium.

Historical evolution

Before the construction of the stadium, it was a barren land with rugged ground and numerous graves. In May 1930, the Preparatory Committee of the National Games, together with the premier's Mausoleum Management Committee and the Land Survey Bureau of the General Staff Headquarters, surveyed the site of the National Games, and invited tenders to move the tombs on the ground. All the earthwork works are contracted by Xinji company at a cost of 56400 yuan. At the same time, the Preparatory Committee invited architects such as Guan Songsheng and Yang Tingbao from the Department of engineering of Jitai to design drawings. In September, the architectural drawing was completed.

In February 1931, the Preparatory Committee invited tenders for the construction project, and Liyuan construction company won the bid with a price of 849301 yuan (excluding the equipment). After winning the bid, Liyuan construction company started construction immediately due to the short deadline. At 10:00 a.m. on May 10 of that year, a grand foundation laying ceremony was held. About 300 or 400 people, including Chiang Kai Shek and other important military and political officials of the national government and representatives of the national assembly, attended the ceremony. Chiang Kai Shek said in his speech at the ceremony: "to restore the national status and spirit, we must first develop a sound physique, so sports is more important than moral education." The foundation was laid on the left side of the command platform of the track and field field field. About two meters above the ground, a piece of the foundation stone was carved with 20 gold-plated characters of "Commemoration of the foundation stone laying of the Central Stadium on May 10, the 20th of the Republic of China"; another iron box was placed inside to display the report on the preparation of the conference, the rules of various sports, the drawings of the whole venue, as well as Shenbao, Central Daily, Xinjing daily, etc A newspaper for each. In order to hold the National Games as scheduled on October 10, Liyuan construction company employed 3000 workers to work day and night, and finally completed the main works by the end of August. The total cost of the project is more than 1.4 million yuan.

After the completion of the central stadium, the fifth national sports conference, originally scheduled to be held on October 10, 1931, could not be held as scheduled due to the floods in 17 provinces and the September 18 Incident.

On October 10, 1933, the fifth national sports meeting organized by the Ministry of education of the national government was held in the central stadium, which was the first sports meeting held after the completion of the central stadium. At that time, 33 units participated in the competition, and more than 2697 athletes were selected from various provinces and cities, which was unprecedented. At the games, the athletes broke the national records of 21 track and field events and 4 swimming events. The Shanghai team won the first place in the total number of medals in the National Games. What is remarkable is that Liu Changchun, a northeast athlete, has set two national best records of 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash with excellent results of 10.7 seconds and 22.1 seconds respectively, which were not broken until the founding of the people's Republic of China. The most touching scene is that Liu Changchun, a famous sprinter who once represented China in the Olympic Games in the enemy occupied areas of Northeast China, went through countless hardships to enter the pass from his hometown under the iron feet of the Japanese aggressors to participate in the games. At the opening ceremony, they made an oath: · the common competition in our mind is to restore the map color of northeast provinces. "In the stands, the crowd was very excited.

After the end of the Anti Japanese War, Nanjing central stadium was selected as the main stadium to bid for the Olympic Games, but in the end, because of the war, the Olympic dream did not come true here.

In 1992, the former site of the central stadium was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Nanjing.

In 2002, the swimming pool of the central stadium was demolished and rebuilt into a modern indoor swimming pool on the basis of the original, and the buildings and swimming pools of that year were retained.

In 2003, the basketball court of the central stadium was demolished and transformed into a modern indoor tennis hall.

In 2006, the former site of the central stadium was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

In 2007, the only two memorial archways left in the baseball field were discovered because of the long time of being annihilated by the folk houses.

In 2017, it was selected as "the second batch of Chinese 20th century architectural heritage".

In June 2018, the renovation project of the national arena, the former site of the central stadium, began.

Main buildings

The central stadium is designed and constructed according to local conditions by making full use of the high surrounding and flat terrain in the middle. All buildings are reinforced concrete structures. The stadium is divided into six parts: track and field field, swimming pool, baseball field, basketball court (shared with volleyball court), national art field and tennis court. In addition, there are horse racing field and football field. There were stands in each show, with a total audience of more than 60000 people, which was called "the first in the Far East" at that time.

Track-and-Field Ground

Track and field is the main building of the central stadium, located in the southeast of the stadium. The plane is oval, north-south, covering an area of about 77 mu. Around is the grandstand, in the middle is the track and field. The track field is 300 meters long and 130 meters wide, with a 10 meter wide 500 meter track and two 13 meter wide 200 meter straight tracks. There are basketball courts and tennis courts at the north and south ends of the runway. On the inside of the track, there is a standard football field, as well as high jump, long jump, throwing and other track and field fields; on both ends of the track, there are tennis, volleyball, basketball and other track and field fields, so that all sports finals can be held in the sports field at the same time. At the north and south ends of the venue, there is a flagpole several feet high, which is used to fly the national flag. The track field has a complete drainage system.

The venue is surrounded by stands, which can accommodate more than 35000 spectators. The gate is located on the East and west sides of the stadium, each building a gatehouse. On the west gate, there is a command desk with a radio and water tank; on the ground floor, there is an office. The East Gate Tower is a special stand, far away from the command tower. Both the East and West gatehouses are traditional Chinese archway buildings, with nine rooms in width and three floors in height. The upper part is decorated with eight moire pillar heads and seven small archway roofs. The side facing the stadium on the gatehouse is covered with a beam slab reinforced concrete awning, and there are men's and women's rest rooms and men's washrooms on both sides. From the outside of the stadium, there are three arched doors of the same size under the gatehouse, with a height of 5.5 meters; from the inside of the stadium, there is only a rectangular door at the bottom of the gatehouse; between the inner and outer doors, there is a 15.2-meter-long and 12.2-meter-wide hall with offices, referees' rest rooms and journalists' rest rooms on the left and right. Under the East, West and South stands, there are athletes' dormitories, bathrooms and toilets, which can accommodate 2700 people. Only the north stand is built on the natural terrain. It was the largest track and field competition in the country at that time.

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool is located in the northwest of the track and field field field. Its entrance is a Chinese classical palace style building, facing southwest. The plan of the building is rectangular, 26.28 meters long and 13.4 meters wide. It is of reinforced concrete structure, with the top of the veranda, the roof covered with glazed tiles, carved beams and painted buildings. On the ground floor, on the ground floor, there is an office in the middle, men's changing room, toilet and shower in the southeast, and in the northwest

Chinese PinYin : Zhong Yang Ti Yu Chang