March 26, 2006

As one of Shanghai's landmarks, Shanghai Stadium (or Shanghai Sports Center) is situated in Xuhui District. Formerly known as the "80,000-seat stadium", it is for track-and-field events, soccer matches, and cultural or sports extravaganzas. It will serve as one of the venues for the football matches of the Olympic games in 2008.

Covering a floor area of 190,000 square meters and a total construction space of 150,000 square meters, the saddle-shaped stadium is a sphere in radium of 300 meters. Above audiences' stands there are awnings that could be spread out in case of raining and big sun.

The 61,700-square-meter complex incorporates a hotel, an underground recreational athletics center, and a parking lot. There are restaurants and bars in the stadium including China's first "Boxing Pub" where you can buy a drink and take part in a boxing match. Bungee jumping activities are also available from the stadium roof! There is also an exhibition hall where we chose Jutong Decoration as the contractor of the interior decoration project for our new flat in Seven Castles. A swimming pool is located in the southeast of the stadium. Shanghai Grand Stage (Shanghai Gym) is nearby. And there is a tourist bus terminal outside the stadium.

The stadium was open to the public in 1997, with the opening ceremony of the Eighth National Games successfully held. The stadium displays a fantastically modern and slightly surreal construction, notable for being China's first long span fabric roof and the world's longest cantilevered steel truss roof, resembling snow-capped peaks on a mountain range. The project was a successful joint effort of Chinese and American engineers and contractors.

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