Zhongshan Soccer Stadium, Chungshan Soccer Stadium, or Taipei Soccer Stadium () was a

multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...

in Zhongshan District,

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It was established in 1923 as during the Japanese period. The soccer stadium was opened in 1989, it was reconstructed from the former site of Yuanshan Baseball Ground () under the guidance of then

Chinese Taipei Football Association Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) is the governing body for football in the Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan). Its official name in Chinese is the Republic of China Football Association, but due to the political status of Tai ...

President

Chiang Wei-kuo Chiang Wei-kuo (; 6 October 1916 – 22 September 1997), also known as Wego Chiang, was the adopted son of Taiwan, Republic of China President of the Republic of China, President Chiang Kai-shek, the adoptive brother of President Chiang Chin ...

. Although it was built as a

soccer-specific stadium A soccer-specific stadium, mainly in the United States and Canada, is a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium whic ...

, it was mostly used for live concerts or other activities due to lack of professional football league in Taiwan. The stadium was able to hold 20,000 people for football games and 40,000 for

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s. It was managed by the Hope Foundation led by former athlete Chi Cheng.

Location

Zhongshan Soccer Stadium was located across of Yumen Street () and Minzu West Road (). Nearby was the Yuanshan Station of

Taipei Metro Taipei Metro (also known as Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and branded as Metro Taipei) is a rapid transit system operated by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation serving the capital Taipei and New Taipei City in Taiwan. It was the first rapi ...

( Tamsui Line, Red Line)

Events

The stadium has hosted a number of concerts by internationally renowned music stars. American singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

performed two sold-out concerts at the stadium on October 18 and 22, 1996, during his

HIStory World Tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning the gl ...

, with a 98,000 attendance.

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

performed at the stadium on April 28, 1995, during

These Days Tour These Days Tour was Bon Jovi's concert tour during 1995-96. Van Halen opened as a special guest for Bon Jovi on twenty of the European stadium dates during the second leg promoting their album ''Balance''. The last of the three Wembley Stadium gi ...

. Australian pop star

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

performed there on December 4, 2008, as part of her KylieX2008 world tour.

Closure

In March 2007, Taipei City Government announced that Yuanshan will be replacing Guandu Plain as the main venue of the 2010 International Garden and Horticulture Exhibition to be hosted in Taipei. In their plan, Chungshan Soccer Stadium, being one of the major parts of the Yuanshan area, would serve as the primary venue of the exhibition featuring indoor activities. As a result, the stadium was closed on July 1, 2008. However, the

made a statement in its official site on June 29, 2007, opposing the proposal. They stated that Chungshan Soccer Stadium was the only FIFA-approved stadium in Taiwan at present. If it is closed, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) would lose its home ground and would not be allowed to hold international football competitions. Though there were several ongoing construction projects for new stadiums, including the

World Games Stadium The National Stadium (; also named 龍騰體育場), formerly known as the World Games Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is currently the largest stadium in Taiwan in terms of capacity. Completed in ...

for World Games 2009 in

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

and the new

Taipei Municipal Stadium The Taipei Municipal Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Taipei, Taiwan. The original stadium, built in 1956, was used mostly for track and field events. Entertainer Michael Jackson performed two concerts there during his '' Dangerous Worl ...

for

2009 Summer Deaflympics The 2009 Summer Deaflympics (), officially known as the 21st Summer Deaflympics was an international multi-sport event from 5 to 15 September 2009 in Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China). It was the third Summer Deaflympics to be held in the Asi ...

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

. But both cannot be complete prior to the end of 2008. On September 30, 2007, Taipei City Mayor

Hau Lung-pin Hau Lung-pin (; born 22 August 1952) is a Taiwanese politician and chemist. As a member of the New Party, he was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1995, and resigned his seat to lead the Environmental Protection Administration in 2001. Hau ...

committed to delay the stadium's closing schedule to the end of 2008 for hosting

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation – the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oc ...

and

2008 AFC Challenge Cup The 2008 AFC Challenge Cup football tournament was organised by AFC and was hosted by India. The tournament was played from 30 July – 13 August 2008. India won the final against Tajikistan. India was also the winner of the fair play award an ...

qualifiers. The stadium was closed on November 28, 2008. As planned by the Taipei City Government, the stadium was later integrated into the Taipei Expo Park, hosting such amenities like the Expo Dome and the MAJI hall.

Transportation

The stadium was accessible within walking distance South East from Yuanshan Station of the

Gallery

Image:Inside the Zhongshan Soccer Stadium.jpg,

Chinese Taipei "Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan. Due to the One China principle stipulated by the ...

played home against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification The 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification was held in late 2005 and the final qualification round was held from February to November 2006 with 25 nations participating. For the first time, the defending champions (Japan), did not earn an automatic ...

. Image:Zhongshan Soccer Stadium.jpg, Zhongshan Soccer Stadium

References

External links

Chungshan Soccer Stadium

Zhongshan Soccer Stadium at Taipei Sports Office official site

Pictures at World Stadiums

StadiumDB.com pictures
{{Taipei sports venues 1989 establishments in Taiwan 2008 disestablishments in Taiwan Former buildings and structures in Taiwan