Socialist Decolonial Practices and the Transformation of Sports Venues in China’s Former Foreign Concessions: The Case of Tianjin’s Minyuan Stadium in the 1950s

During the 1950s, Minyuan Stadium, located in Tianjin’s former British Concession and newly freed from colonial control, underwent a major transformation. By regenerating architectural spaces and redefining activities and meanings of the stadium, the new local government addressed the legacies of the semi-colonial era and established a distinct, independent identity. While sharing common experiences with sports venue transformations in other post-colonial societies, this case from Tianjin presented localized decolonial practices in transforming the stadium’s physical structures, sports culture, user groups, and everyday spaces. Its approach was characterized by re-integrating the once-isolated concession area into development projects serving the entire city and nation, which can be attributed to the combined influences of Tianjin’s unique semi-colonial experiences, post-liberation challenges, and China’s socialist agenda. The integration between sports venue transformation and decolonization in former concession areas provides a new perspective on the transformation of semi-colonial sports legacies in China, as well as a critical lens and historical context for evaluating Minyuan’s subsequent renovations and future planning.