As night fell on April 16 in Beijing, Shanghai Shenhua took a 1-0 win from previous AFC Cup winners Shandong Taishan with Wu Xi's game-winner in the first round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), giving them a good start to their CSL journey.
Shenhua said goodbye to the Hongkou Football Stadium, which has been with them for many years, and upgraded the Shanghai Stadium (also known as the Shanghai 80,000 Stadium) into a new fighting fortress in this fierce battle. With the return of both home and away venues, Shenhua fans were able to return to the stands to fight alongside their beloved team.
Image: Shenhua North Stand, flags flying. Photographed by Yuan Feijie
In the era of Hongkou Football Stadium, the North Stand used to be the base of Shenhua's hardcore fan organization Blue Devils, while Shenhua's other fan groups such as Sapphire, Star, Shengshi, Jixiang, and Tiehuang waved their flags in the South Stand. Now that Shenhua's home ground has changed to Shanghai Stadium, the Blue Devils in the North and South Stands have for the first time realized their unity, gathering in the North Stand and shouting out inspiring slogans in Shanghainese - "Shenhua is our faith! We stand in the stands! Fight together!"
Video: Shenhua North Stand cheering scene. Provided by: Shanghai Shenhua Blue Devils Fan Association
"It's so shocking! I didn't think Chinese fans could create such a Europeanized fan atmosphere. It's fantastic!" Long, a student from Yiyang, Hunan province, who is studying at the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education, snagged a ticket for the showdown. Previously, he had not watched the match live. He commented on the fervor of the Shenhua fans, "I used to say that the fans are the '12th man'. Seeing the performance of Shenhua fans today, I really realized the meaning of this sentence."
The longtime Barcelona fan admits that the level of play in the Chinese Super League may not be top-notch or fast-paced. But when he was there, the atmosphere was warm enough to keep him engrossed. It doesn't matter if the game itself is good or bad. "In the future, I will definitely come to support Shanghai Shenhua! In order to revitalize Chinese soccer, everyone should start from themselves, even if it's just buying a ticket."
A photo of Lao Sun (second from left) with his friends. Photographed by Yuan Feijie
Old Sun, a die-hard Shenhua Blue Devils fan, came to the North Stand to watch the game with his friend and wife, who is also a Shenhua fan. As a veteran Blue Devils fan, Sun has long been accustomed to the Blue Devils' boisterous approach to support. Although the 2020-2022 schedule has kept Shenhua fans away from the stands for a while, when they returned to the stadium, the familiar feeling returned. Old Sun said: "Loving soccer is not about achievement. We enjoy the journey with Shenhua more than the team's achievements. I love Inter Milan in Serie A, and my wife is a fan of the English Premier League.
Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Sun and all the Shenhua fans witnessed the opening of the new season. The feeling of being back in the stands was a great pleasure for Sun and the others. Their only regret was that they couldn't bring their young son to experience the atmosphere with them. "My child is going to kindergarten tomorrow, and I'm mainly worried that it will affect his schooling the next day. In the future, we will bring our child to experience and train him to be the next generation of Shenhua fans." Old Sun said that since joining the Blue Devils as a Shenhua fan, he has been looking forward to bringing his children to support Shenhua and pass on the fan culture.
After the match, fans in Shenhua's North Stand interacted enthusiastically with the players. Photographed by Yuan Feijie
At 17:00 on April 21, Shanghai Shenhua will travel to Guangdong to challenge Meizhou Hakka, the first county-level team in the Chinese Super League in Wuhua County, Meizhou City.
For Shenhua fans, Meizhou is still a piece of away field to be developed. Even though the match is scheduled for Friday, many Shenhua fans have booked their tickets in advance to continue to follow the team's north-south campaign.
