Shanxi Provincial Sports Center Stadium

The ground has a way of standing out without shouting. It sits on Changfeng Street in the Xiaodian District of Taiyuan. They call it the 'Red Lantern'.

Built in 2011 by Shanxi Sijian Group Co., Ltd., the venue moved the city’s focus away from the 32,000-seater that had served them for so long. The surface is hybrid grass, a choice that makes sense for a place that does not have one permanent professional football team calling it home. Instead, the space is shared. The Shanxi Loongs, a basketball club in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), play their games in the adjacent indoor gymnasium, while the football pitch itself has seen tenants come and go. Shanxi Longjin F.C., formerly Shanxi Metropolis F.C., kept knocking on the door here from 2018 to 2021 before the club dissolved.

It is also a place for things outside football. The UEFA Category 4 certification means it can host elite competitions, and it has done so. China defeated Qatar 2–0 in a match for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier in March 2016. Later, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2nd National Youth Games of China took place in August 2019. Then the concerts arrived. Jay Chou’s Carnival World Tour in September 2023 and Mayday’s #5525 Back to That Day Tour in July and August 2024 filled the stands with a different kind of energy.