Shenzhen Universiade Center: The Place Saved by Concerts

As dusk descends, the giant glass pyramid of the Shenzhen Universiade Center shimmers in the neon lights, complementing the nearby stadium. Once famous for the 2011 Universiade, it has been reborn through a series of top-tier concerts after years of silence. The adjacent Dayun Tiandi business district is the most vivid footnote to this "traffic miracle." Walking through the lush ecological lake boardwalk and entering Dayun Tiandi, the open-air street design seamlessly integrates nature and commerce. The aroma of Chaoshan beef hot pot wafts from the lakeside restaurants, young people take photos with coffee at the "Sunset Theater," and furry friends frolic in the pet zone. Who would have thought that this business district, with a daily traffic of over 150,000 people, was just an empty space next to the stadium a few years ago? The change began with the "concert economy." Mayday, JJ Lin, Jay Chou... In 2024, the Universiade Center became a super entertainment center in eastern Shenzhen with 92 large-scale events and 1.6 million viewers. On the eve of each concert, surrounding vendors sprung up like mushrooms: glow sticks, handwritten fans, and celebrity merchandise lined up, with stall owners earning over a thousand yuan a night. Dayun Tiandi went to the extreme to "spoil" fans: during JJ Lin's concert, the ground was covered with purple support colors; Jay Chou's special event erected a 7-meter-high "Interstellar Jay Chou" sculpture, where fans collected stamps to redeem limited-edition merchandise, and the mall's daily traffic soared to 195,000. "After the concert, you can continue the fun in the business district!" one fan exclaimed. The tipsiness of the open-air bar, the tranquility of the 24-hour bookstore, the rich aroma of Grid Coffee, the first store in South China... Dayun Tiandi retains the audience with the "first store economy" and trendy business formats, with 60% of the brands being the first in Longgang, and even created a pet version of "Sam's Club." After the concert, shuttle buses direct the crowds to the business district, and the hot pot restaurants are still packed late at night. What's even better is that urban governance and "local flavor" are balanced here. Longcheng Street has designated hundreds of meters of temporary stalls, which not only avoids road congestion but also provides a place for handmade crafts and Chaoshan snacks. The drone show is linked to the concert, and the "confession balloon" in the night sky resonates with the singing in the venue, becoming a unique romance in Shenzhen. Looking back when leaving, the lights of the Universiade Center are still shining brightly. It is no longer just a stadium, but a "city within a city" awakened by notes—the concert ignited the traffic, and the business district turned the momentary starlight into lasting prosperity.