As night fell in Beijing on April 16, Shanghai Shenhua beat last year's AFC Cup winner Shandong Taishan by a narrow 1-0 margin in the first round of the 2023 Chinese Super League (CSL) season, thanks to the match-winning strike of midfielder Wu Xi, making a good start to their CSL journey.
Shenhua said goodbye to the Hongkou Football Stadium, which has been their companion for many years, and moved to the 80,000-capacity Shanghai Stadium to start a brand-new home journey. With the return of the home-and-away system, Shenhua fans were able to return to the familiar stands and share the team's fate.
Shenhua North Stand with flags flying. Photo/Yuan Feijie
In the years of Hongkou football stadium, the north stand is Shenhua hardcore fan organization "Blue Devils" fighting fortress, while others such as "Bluebell", "Star", Other fan groups such as "Bluebell", "Star", "Shengshi", "Auspicious" and "Hardcore" are active in the South Stand. The Shenhua home relocation, the Blue Devils in the north and south stands for the first time to realize the unity, they gathered in the north stand of the Shanghai Stadium, using the Shanghai dialect chanting: "Shenhua is our faith! We stand in the stands! Come together and fight!"
Video: Shenhua's passionate cheering in the North Stand. Provided by Shanghai Shenhua Blue Devils Fan Association
"It's shocking! I didn't realize Chinese fans could create such a European fan atmosphere. It's great!" Long, a student from Yiyang, Hunan province, who is studying at the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education, watched the game live. Before that, Long had never had the experience of watching a big soccer match live. "The Shenhua fans were really great, and there were people cheering and jumping all the time in the audience. I always used to say that the fans were the '12th man'. Seeing the performance of the Shenhua fans today, I really understand this statement."
As a big fan of Barcelona, Long said that although the overall level of the Chinese Super League may not be as good as that of the European leagues and the pace of the game is not fast, the fiery atmosphere on the field is enough to immerse people in it. He firmly believes that no matter what the outcome of the match is, it is the passion on the field that makes soccer so attractive. "In the future, I will definitely come back to support Shanghai Shenhua! For the revitalization of Chinese soccer, everyone can start from themselves, even if it's just a ticket."
Old Sun (second from left) with friends. Photo/Yuan Feijie
Shenhua Blue Devils fan Lao Sun went to the North Stand to watch the game with his friends and his wife, who is also a Shenhua fan. As a veteran Blue Devil fan, Sun has long been accustomed to the Blue Devils' boisterous support style. Despite the fact that the 2020-2022 tournament schedule has kept Shenhua fans out of the stands for a while, returning to the stadium brought back a familiar feeling. Old Sun said: "Love of soccer has nothing to do with success or failure. We enjoy breathing with Shenhua and experiencing the ups and downs of our destiny, rather than just pursuing the team's good results. I love Inter Milan in Serie A, while my wife loves the English Premier League."
Mr. and Mrs. Sun and other Shenhua fans were overjoyed after witnessing the good start of the season. Unfortunately, they didn't bring their young son along to feel the atmosphere. "The child is going to kindergarten tomorrow, mainly because I am worried that too late will affect his study the next day. In the future, we will bring our child to experience the game and develop him into a new generation of Shenhua fans." Old Sun said that since the moment he joined the Blue Devils and became a Shenhua fan, he has been looking forward to bringing his children to support Shenhua and pass on this fan culture.
Fans in the Shenhua North Stand interact with the players after the match. Photo/Yuan Feijie
On April 21st at 17:00 Shanghai Shenhua will embark on a journey to Wuhua County, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, to challenge Meizhou Hakka, the first Chinese Super League (CSL) team in the history of the Chinese Super League (CSL) to come from a county-level city.
For Shenhua's fans, Meizhou is still an unknown new away field. Although the match is scheduled for Friday, many Shenhua fans have booked their tickets in advance to continue to follow the team north and south to cheer for Shenhua.
