Starting from 2021, the major renovation of the Datianwan Sports Stadium and Cultural Palace located at Lianglukou Road is one of Chongqing's two key projects.

Leaving aside the old residents who are among them, as mere residents of Chongqing, our interests are also extremely keen. Every person in Chongqing wants to see these old places rejuvenated and reconnect with us.

On December 30, 2022, the Oda Bay Stadium reopened. Here, there are many past orders and aesthetics, as well as many memories and emotions. This time, it will usher in its own new glory. On this issue, you can always believe that Lianglukou - the most beautiful area of Chongqing in the future - is unveiling its veil.

Newly renovated Ota Bay Stadium Photography/Yulike

On the only way from Guanyin Bridge to Monument to the people's Liberation, around the Great Ring Island, which connects the four directions at the two intersections, was closed by various fences for more than a year. The well-known Datianwan Sports Stadium and Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace, which have served Chongqing for about 70 years, have undergone their largest comprehensive upgrade.

Old photos of Otawan Sports Stadium

Image from "Centennial Shangqing Temple"

Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace before renovation

Photography/Yulike

For the two intersections, this year's rectification is of great significance. How big is it? It can be said that it is almost the same as the new construction 70 years ago.

The two major public venues held up 70% of the public memory of the two intersections after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Because they are closely related to too many people, every construction is highly anticipated.

In 1950, the resident of Lianglukou, Lao Yang, had already remembered. That winter, his parents and several uncles would often bring their baskets and poles to a large construction site on weekends, weekends, and even workdays for voluntary construction.

Hand drawn drawing of Otawan Sports Stadium

Image from "Centennial Shangqing Temple"

At that time, there were no fences or excavators on the construction site, and people lined up to work slowly and orderly. Later data confirmed people's memory: according to statistics, between November 1950 and April 1951, a total of 132000 people participated in voluntary labor for the construction of the Otawan Sports Stadium. Everyone used their hands to level the mountain next to the skydiving tower and fill it into the deep ditch of Ota Bay. By the end of compulsory labor in mid April 1951, the deep ditch in Otawan had been filled in.

Model diagram of Datian Bay Sports Stadium

Image from "Centennial Shangqing Temple"

Almost simultaneously with the construction of the Datianwan Sports Stadium, the Chongqing Workers' Cultural Palace, separated by a road, laid its foundation. On July 1, 1951, the Cultural Palace held a groundbreaking ceremony. The then mayor of Chongqing, Cao Diqiu, attended the ceremony and allocated a special fund of 1.3 million yuan: this is 1.3 million yuan from 70 years ago!

On July 1, 1951, the foundation laying ceremony of the Cultural Palace was held,

Mayor Cao Diqiu (second from right) attends

Image from the official website of Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace

Deng Xiaoping was very concerned about the construction of the Cultural Palace, carefully inquired about the site selection, design, construction and other aspects, and visited the construction site several times. On May Day in 1952, during Deng Xiaoping's inspection of the construction site, Mayor Cao Diqiu, who accompanied him, asked him to write the name of the Cultural Palace. Deng Xiaoping took the time to repeatedly write the name of the palace, totaling 36 words. He selected the 10 words that he was most satisfied with: "Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace", which was engraved at the top of the gate by the construction committee.

In May 1952, Deng Xiaoping inscribed an inscription for the Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace

Image from the official website of Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace

At the entrance of Datianwan Sports Stadium, there stands a group of sculptures of "He Long and Athletes", affectionately referred to as the He Long Statue by the people of Chongqing.

Otawan Sports Facilities Complex - He Long Statue

Photography/Yulike

After major repairs, there will always be great success - On August 5, 1952, the Cultural Palace opened, and Mayor Cao Diqiu and representatives from all walks of life were surrounded by Young Pioneers and walked through the Roman style long corridor gate. Hundreds of colorful flags fluttered in the wind. Lao He, an old resident of Lianglukou, had just joined the team on Children's Day that year and happened to attend this grand event. He recalled, "After the ceremony ended and we disbanded, my classmates and I played at the Cultural Palace until it was dark at night before returning home. We almost got beaten up by our parents

On August 5, 1952, the Cultural Palace was opened,

Mayor Cao Diqiu (fifth from the left)

Entering the Cultural Palace with Young Pioneers

Image from the official website of Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace

On February 9, 1956, the Otawan Sports Stadium was completed. At that time, it was called Chongqing Datianwan Sports Stadium, covering an area of 97500 square meters. The inner field of the stadium is grassland, with a 300 meter white track on the outside and a 400 meter track paved with red coal shavings on the inside, accommodating 45000 spectators.

Old photos of Otawan Sports Stadium

Image from "Centennial Shangqing Temple"

After the completion of the sports stadium, the first Workers' Sports Games of Chongqing were held. Lao He was already a primary school student. Although these events had nothing to do with him, the joyful steps of the athletes wearing blue vests on the streets, as well as the intense discussions among the adults around him, have left a vivid memory of everyone's enthusiasm for sports back then.

In 1956, after the completion of the Datianwan Sports Stadium, the first Workers' Sports Games of Chongqing were held, and He Long kicked off the first football match.

He Long kicks off for the first football match

Image from "Centennial Shangqing Temple"

In the past 70 years, when it comes to two intersections, what immediately comes to people's minds? Literary and artistic youth know about the Roosevelt Library, romantic couples know about the Mountain City Cinema, trendsetters know about the Fu'an Department Store, and families with children know about the Children's Hospital. If everyone knows, it is the Datianwan Sports Stadium and the Cultural Palace. For the two intersections, for the residents of Chongqing's main city, and even for all Chongqing people, the status and significance of these two buildings, the memories and emotions they bring, have long been integrated with the bones and blood of Chongqing and cannot be separated.

It is worthwhile to wait for the rebirth of two important buildings and achieve such results.

About 70 years later, we began another round of waiting.

Since last year, the Cultural Palace and Sports Center have been quietly surrounded and separated from our sight. Walking up the pedestrian bridge in front of the Hilton Hotel, we can see the construction sites on both sides in full swing, with large machinery and equipment working in an orderly manner, no longer like the crowds of people 70 years ago.

But whether it's shoulder to shoulder or new technology, the most important four words of this style renovation are "restore the old as it is". Or in other words, this is the universal principle for the protection and utilization of all important old buildings in Chongqing.

Photography of the soon to be completed Ota Bay Sports Stadium/Yulike

Every time these four words are mentioned, some people argue: 'Since it's as old as ever, why not let it maintain its old appearance?' Any building material has a lifespan, wear and tear, and damage and obsolescence are extremely normal. Materials will age, they will expand and contract during winter and summer, seeds carried by birds will take root in the crevices of rocks, crack open, and dust will accumulate faster than they can be cleaned... In fact, only the exhibits in museums can remain old and beautiful for a long time. They are specimens of time that cannot be touched in a constant temperature and humidity environment. They collect stories from the past and exhibit memories from the past.

Who would want such public places that can bring laughter to people to become intangible exhibits? At least I don't want to.

'As old' means that the building materials and construction techniques of the venue must be fully restored to their original appearance, while also improving their functionality according to current needs.

Photography of the soon to be completed Ota Bay Sports Stadium/Yulike

The reopened Otawan Sports Stadium still serves as a venue. The atmosphere of the main venue remains unchanged, with the cheers of the avant-garde Huandao winning the championship from memory, as well as the fluorescent glow of Faye Wong's concert. But unlike before, the entire Ota Bay area will be transformed into an outdoor ecological sports park, with various standard sports venues such as basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball courts, table tennis courts, and gate courts, allowing almost everyone to find a suitable sports venue in this stadium, making sports belong to the whole nation rather than competition.

The picture of winning the Chinese Football Association Cup is from the internet

In terms of the renovation of the cultural palace, aside from the 720 parking spaces that everyone is most concerned about, all public information and interviews emphasize the "1950s". The exterior should restore the style of buildings in the southwest region in the 1950s, and the function should also return to the "school+amusement park" functional positioning of the staff and masses.

What was the 'school+playground' in the 1950s like? Let's take a brief look.

This is a roller skating rink built in the Cultural Palace in 1952.

Roller skating was a very trendy sport at that time. During holidays and summer parties, it would become a venue for ballroom dancing, with fast and slow performances, and a very romantic mass art.

(Image sourced from the internet)

This is the swimming pool opened by the Cultural Palace in 1954.

This is 1954! In rural areas, agricultural production cooperatives have just begun to develop, and the girls at the intersection have already changed into swimsuits, which shows the pioneer of culture and the liberation of thought.

(Image sourced from the internet)

This is a gathering of Young Pioneers celebrating Children's Day at the Red Star Pavilion in 1953.

In 1953, the first five-year plan for the national economy had just begun to be implemented, and cultural activities for children at Lianglukou were already flourishing.

(Image sourced from the internet)

This is the second Chrysanthemum Exhibition held in Chongqing in 1959.

People would take a one or two hour bus ride from Shapingba and Nanping, which were relatively far away at the time, and spend 4 cents to buy tickets to come in and watch the exhibition.

(Image sourced from the internet)

This is a cinema built in 1954.

A young worker takes his girlfriend to watch a movie and needs to polish his shoes to be talented.

(Image sourced from the internet)

Invite advanced representatives from all walks of life to watch the movie when the cinema is completed.

(Image sourced from network diagram)

Don't doubt that the Labor People's Cultural Palace is a high-end venue that truly represents the happy lifestyle of the people.

Many memories disappear with the aging of the crowd, but the architecture does not.

Hu Bin, the person in charge of cultural preservation and restoration design for the protection and utilization project of Datianwan Sports Stadium, and the dean of the Historical Architecture Branch of Chongqing University Planning and Architectural Design Research Institute Co., Ltd., introduced that the architectural craftsmanship of Datianwan Sports Stadium is highly ethnic, especially the watchtower, red wall, arched window and other elements, which have rich traditional Chinese architectural features and can be called classics.

Workers are repairing severely weathered railings

Image from Hualong Network - New Chongqing Client

Prototype of traditional style railing repair

Image from Hualong Network - New Chongqing Client

In order to respect the authenticity and integrity of cultural relics, all these traditional characteristic elements are preserved and restored. A large amount of material and chemical analysis, as well as chemical and mechanical experiments, were conducted in the early stage of the project to determine the materials to be used for that year. In the later stage, in order not to change the original state of the cultural relics, the cultural heritage restoration team also hired traditional craftsmen based on the regional architectural style and traditional techniques to carry out repairs according to traditional craftsmanship.

Integration of Sports Stadium and Newly Built Buildings

Image from Hualong Network - New Chongqing Client

From the results, it can be seen that the integrity and stability of the watchtower are very good, mainly improving its seismic resistance. At the same time, the exterior walls have been cleaned and painted according to traditional techniques. The damaged components of the plain concrete railing are also repaired using raw materials, processes, and methods.

The Cultural Palace will fully restore its original facade style. Gong Dalin, one of the designers of the Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace, recalled the architectural features of the Cultural Palace auditorium introduced by his father. It is a European style auditorium with a large span, but without any pillars, including under the second floor grandstand. To create such a spatial structure, a very high level of architectural expertise was required, which was not easy in that era.

The old appearance of the Cultural Palace Grand Theater

Image from the official website of Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace

In the 1950s, Chongqing already had a considerable level of design. In the original design draft of the Cultural Palace, there were modern style, European Renaissance style, popular style, ethnic traditional style, as well as mountain city characteristic garden landscapes. The aesthetics of that era were more diverse and preserved more local customs tailored to local conditions.

These design concepts of "locality" and "naturalism", the semi sunken square set in front of the entrance platform of the auditorium combined with the terrain, the open-air stage built on the cliff, and the stadium formed by the slope, are still worthy of praise for their ingenuity even today, sixty or seventy years later.

Enhance the rendering of the square in front of the renovated Cultural Palace Grand Theater

Picture provided by the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions

Rendering of the Cultural Palace Folk Customs Corridor

Picture provided by the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions

Cultural Palace Middle Door - Rear Door Passage Rendering

Picture provided by the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions

The new construction technology brings the most eagerly anticipated venue function in the new era - parking lots.

Photography of traffic passing through the ring road at two intersections/Yulike

In this era where family cars are so popular, a large supply of parking lots is undoubtedly an important advantage. Under the premise that the overall area cannot be increased, new technologies provide another possibility. Underneath the football field, a two-story underground parking garage is being intensively constructed. During the hottest weather of July, workers are carrying out secondary structural and renovation work in the garage, which will provide 780 parking spaces after completion. There are also 10 pedestrian walkways connected to the stands in the garage. Citizens can drive into the parking garage and directly reach the stands through the pedestrian walkway.

Partial rendering of Otawan Sports Stadium

Image from Chongqing Datianwan National Fitness Center

The engineer in charge of this construction project from China Construction Eighth Engineering Division is named Shen Ruitong. According to him, the biggest challenge is that the repair of the "underground garage" and "passage" not only needs to protect cultural relics, but also avoid the construction of Metro Line 1 and Line 3, and can only be carried out in the most traditional and primitive way.

The difficulty of the overall renovation of the Otawan Sports Stadium can be seen from the construction of the vertical shaft. One is that the vertical shaft is located at the bottom of the cultural relic stand, inside the original functional room. Before excavation, the walls, columns, beams, etc. of the original room must be removed, and additional steel supports must be added to replace the original structural components to bear the load of the stand. Construction can only be carried out while protecting the safety of the cultural relic structure; Secondly, since the top cannot be lifted, the tower crane needs to be replaced with a crane, which immediately reduces the construction efficiency by half. At the same time, building a football field above the underground garage also requires higher construction quality.

The vertical shaft is under construction

Image from Hualong Network - New Chongqing Client

New technologies can solve problems that previous generations could not solve, and also express new ideas.

The construction site of the sports stadium adopts a mountain hut similar to that of the hobbits, which is a supporting building for the staff. The difference is that the hobbits are truly excavated from the mountain, while the current construction is that the design team designs the roof into an irregular wave shape, fills it with mud, lays grass, and plants green trees, hiding the new building between the cliffs to form the effect of a mountain hut. So the supporting buildings were covered up in this way, and at the same time, multiple new technologies such as composite foundations, rainwater, and surface water collection systems were also used.

Newly constructed supporting buildings with capped roofs

Image from Chongqing Datianwan National Fitness Center

Here, there is a tribute to history and culture from the planning team, as well as the concept of designers combining technological breakthroughs with aesthetic interests. This is probably why I like to use repaired old things - technology and time can be so harmoniously combined.

Completed Ota Bay Sports Stadium Photography/Yulike

In that year, Deng Xiaoping and Liu Bocheng led the Chinese People's Liberation Army to liberate Southwest China and stationed in Chongqing. At a meeting of the Southwest Military and Political Committee, Deng Xiaoping personally proposed the construction of the Chongqing Workers' Cultural Palace. He said that Chongqing is an industrial city with a large workforce, and should have a cultural palace with a certain scale, complete cultural facilities, and beautiful environment to meet the cultural needs of the working people. At this moment, people may no longer rely on this cultural palace, but the memories left by the 1950s and 1980s at the crossroads constitute an indelible part of the childhood of two generations. In 1956, the Datianwan Sports Stadium became the first Grade A sports stadium in New China, carrying the dream of becoming a "sports powerhouse" that Chinese people have been striving for. Nowadays, the dream of becoming a great nation no longer comes from gold medals, and "national fitness" is a new call for a sports arena.

Otawan discusses the "Healthy" National Fitness Day series of activities

Image from Chongqing Datianwan National Fitness Center

With the upgrading and opening of the sports arena, I think there should be a time like this again - on weekends and holidays, various people gather at the intersection to learn, just like Pang Zhonghua used to learn calligraphy here; The cinema still shows the hottest movies of the moment, and the vegetation is even more lush than before; Every morning and evening, people sweat on the track, and the basketball court, tennis court, and table tennis table are all bustling and noisy. The morning or evening light, passing through the dense leaves of the trees, shines day by day on the blue tiles and black bricks of the Cultural Palace, the high columns carved in Rome, and the green fields of the football field for decades... Those who run, play ball, and dance in the square, their smiles remain unchanged, decades are like a moment.

The reopened Otawan Sports Stadium

Image from Yuzhong Integrated Media Center Photography by He Chao

This is a lively scene at the intersection, different from the fashionable and avant-garde scenes of cinemas, swimming pools, and ice rinks in the past; It's not just about cheers, trophies, and glory in the arena, but thousands of parking lots that mean the integration of thousands of families, meaning these families stay at two intersections and have happy moments one by one.

The reopened Ota Bay Sports Stadium Photography by Liu Li

The reopened Otawan Sports Stadium

Image from Yuzhong Integrated Media Center Photography by He Chao

Look at the inscriptions of Deng Xiaoping back then, look at the statue of He Long. Our ancestors have knowledge under the spring. Seeing these new buildings, we should also say: My heart is relieved.

The reopened Otawan Sports Stadium

Image from Yuzhong Integrated Media Center Photography by He Chao

- END -

Text | Lian'er Ye

Layout | Hua Mei

Images | You Lick, He Chao, Liu Li, Chongqing Datianwan National Fitness Center, Chongqing Labor People's Cultural Palace official website, Chongqing Federation of Trade Unions official website, Hualong Network - New Chongqing Client, Yuzhong Integrated Media Center. Some images are from the internet such as intrusion deletion