Mountainous county in SE China's Fujian cultivates thriving baseball industry, facilitates cross-Strait exchanges

In the mountainous Liancheng county, Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province, the baseball industry is thriving, transforming the area into a renowned "baseball town".

While baseball remains a niche sport in the Chinese mainland, it is one of the most popular sports in the Taiwan region.

In around 2000, Taiwan experienced a shortage of labor, prompting numerous local businessmen to relocate their baseball production to the Chinese mainland.

Players compete during a cross-Strait youth baseball invitational tournament held in Liancheng county, Longyan city, southeast China’s Fujian Province, in 2024. (China News Service/Ye Qiuyun)

Among the various destinations, Liancheng county emerged as the preferred choice for these entrepreneurs due to its ample supply of labor, cost advantages, and convenient transportation options.

In 2006, Liao Fangzhou became the first Taiwanese entrepreneur to recognize the potential of relocating his baseball glove manufacturing business to the Chinese mainland.

Miaoqian town in Liancheng county stood out among the options due to its advantageous transportation infrastructure, expansive and accessible terrain, and substantial population.

Without hesitation, Liao invested over 11 million yuan (about $1.53 million) to establish Hongguo (Longyan) Sports Products Co., Ltd., focusing primarily on manufacturing baseball gloves.

In the following years, Liao's baseball glove business flourished, attracting two business partners who also set up their own sports equipment manufacturing companies in Miaoqian town, specializing in baseball production.

Additionally, Longyan Xinyi Industry and Trade Co., Ltd., a Taiwanese enterprise, also established its presence in the area, joining the other three Taiwanese businesses to create a thriving baseball industry and a well-integrated baseball supply chain in Liancheng.

Workers make baseball products at a factory in Liancheng county, Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (China News Service/Zhang Bin)

By 2023, the four companies had achieved a total output value of 520 million yuan, with their products primarily exported to countries and regions such as Japan, South Korea, Europe, and America.

Liancheng has made concerted efforts to ignite the popularity of baseball.

Since 2012, the local government has allocated funds to support coach training, built baseball teams for teachers, primary and secondary school students, and established a baseball association.

The local government has also introduced baseball courses and recruited a coach, Lyu Jinlin, from the Taiwan region to elevate the standard of baseball education at local schools. Lyu has been coaching baseball in Liancheng county for nearly eight years.

Presently, Liancheng boasts 23 youth baseball teams with over 500 players, and there are 45 certified baseball coaches, including three from the Taiwan region.

Since 2014, Longyan city has held a total of 26 cross-Strait baseball cultural festivals and other activities.

A player from a primary school in the Taiwan region competes during a cross-Strait youth baseball invitational tournament in Liancheng county, Longyan city, southeast China's Fujian Province, in 2024. (China News Service/Wang Dongming)

More than 850 players from 31 Taiwanese youth baseball teams (slow pitch softball teams) have come to Liancheng county to compete. Liancheng county has sent over 150 players from six baseball teams to the Taiwan region to participate in competitions.

In recent years, Fujian has been actively implementing the Fujian-Taiwan baseball and softball promotion project. Currently, five cities, including Fuzhou and Xiamen, as well as the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Area, have initiated baseball and softball activities.

At present, there are over 80 school baseball and softball teams in Fujian and the first batch of 10 pilot schools are participating in the Fujian-Taiwan baseball and softball exchange program.

Furthermore, efforts are underway to establish 10 Fujian-Taiwan regional development centers for baseball and softball at the municipal level.