Xiangtan Sports Complex

I’ve been back a week and as you guys are figuring out, not too much new going on here to write about. Small city, remember?

Basically, its all work but that’s why we are here (I keep having to say that because my kids think I don’t work here; just play all the time).

But after getting Sam all settled into his new school (another Ramblin’ Wreck for the world!), I made the journey back.

Anyway, the city has just completed construction of their new 600 Million RMB (90 Million USD) Sports Complex. I always thought it was a strange thing to be spending this large fortune to build. I would have thought that there were better things to spend money on locally. Unimportant things like new streets, sidewalks, sewer system, perhaps even some extravagant things like new city buses or even (gasp) newer taxis! I had a discussion with Danny (Moe’s wife from the world famous Moe’s Bar) and she is absolutely livid over the whole project. She thinks the city planners are crazy spending that kind of money on the complex. She is a school teacher and is quite open in her views about the need for new Kindergartens, and other school improvements. But that wasn’t the plan, so a new Sports Complex was designed constructed and opened. This weekend was the Grand Opening and the city was hectic!!

Roads were closed and rerouted, hotels teeming with hi-brow attendees and other important social and political figures, with signs, flags, sound … the works. Of course, I do have some satisfaction that it probably showed poorly when the old buses and taxis were cruising past the new stadium – but then, the people attending the ceremony weren’t the kind of people who arrive in an old, beat up taxi.

I tried lobbying at work earlier this summer to have our company get some tickets (Being the only western company in the area should have garnered us some privileges; but that didn’t happen either). So I was relegated to just walking around the outside to look at it.

I do have to admit; it looks good.


The security was pretty intense Sunday morning for a Sunday evening ceremony. A policeman or military person every 50 feet. Barricades 100% surrounding. SWAT team looking officers who were seriously working the bomb sniffing dogs. I saw 6 different dogs working the grounds around the outside of the stadium. (Had to sneak that photo while trying to look like I was taking photo of something else). As I walked the perimeter I saw a car wreck with a scooter. The poor scooter driver went flying into the air and then tumbled across the road and just sort of laid there flopping. I could see 200 police in the area. Did they leave their post? No way. Two traffic police down the street began to sort of stroll over to assist. Hope the poor guy wasn’t too badly injured, but you could tell the level of instruction to the security guys NOT to leave their post.

I continued my walk about and discovered on the back side that in addition to the main Soccer Venue, there is also a small soccer area (looked like a size for kids or maybe 7 on 7 games?), tennis courts, an Olympic sized Swimming Pool and Diving Well complete with 1M and 3M spring boards and the three level fixed platform. In all, a mini-Olympic venue. The inside parking area was full of CCTV TV Trucks and China Mobile trucks, so they were certainly planning a broadcast or recording.

As I neared one corner (near the pool), the barricades were closing off the sidewalk and it was apparent I was supposed to walk on the street side but I wanted to try an dget a photo of the pool, so I acted like I didn’t notice the barricade. The two security guys stopped me and with surprisingly good English, instructed me where to walk. Since they spoke English, I tried very hard to convince them to have one of them walk with me just inside the gate to take a picture (without the fence in the way) and then walk me back out. No go on that. They told me they weren’t authorized to be inside the gate as they showed me their ID badges with the letter “C”. Apparently, only Tags with “A” or “B” are allowed inside (I am thinking with all this security and bomb dogs, etc; I DON’T think they were supposed to tell me that). Anyway, it was hot as the dickens out there in the Sun, so I got them some water bottles (which they did appreciate) and continued talking to them and trying to sway them into helping me out here (playing the poor USA tourist card as best I could). Still No Go. So, in the end, your photos will just have to deal with some fences in the way.

They did let me know that the ceremony was to be like the Olympic Opening Ceremony with songs, dances, athletes, etc. It was begin at 07:00 with fireworks at the conclusion. So I figured to return in the evening to mingle and watch the fireworks.

By dinner time that evening, the crazy city was even more crazy. The hotel lobby was equally a mad house and I just decided to stay in and watch the fireworks form my room balcony since, fortunately, it faces in the correct direction.

At 09:45 the fireworks began. At 09:50 they were over.
Huh?
This is China; the inventors of gunpowder and fireworks. The Land of 16 hour fireworks displays during New Year Eve-Night-Day. What’s up with the 5 minute fireworks?
Ultimately, I was glad I didn’t walk the 1.5 mile down there. Pretty lame and very disappointing. I actually had a great seat to watch from my 4th floor vantage point.


So now we have a new Sports Stadium with some serious state of the art facilities.


I now wonder who will come use it.


Hope they don’t mind the potholes, leaking sewers, rickety buses, and 20 year old taxis?