Home China Sports Baseball Chinese National Baseball Team

Chinese National Baseball Team

Baseball in China first appeared in 1863, with the first recorded game taking place between the St. Johns University and the Shanghai YMCA baseball club in 1905. However, in 1959 Mao Zedong disbanded all teams and outlawed baseball. After the Cultural Revolution ended, baseball activities restarted, and the China Baseball Association formed in 1974. In 2002, the China Baseball League was formed, and China participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. However, it is not a popular sport and it is often seen by Chinese as a mere American curiosity due to its slow pace. Defeats of the national team to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea may help change the trend as Chinese become more aware of the game's internationalization. The History of Baseball in China 1863 Establishment of the Shanghai Baseball Club 1872 The Qing Court sends a team of 30 male students to the United States to study, as part of the "self-strengthening movement." This group of students accepts American culture and forms the "Oriental Baseball Club" 1879 Sun Yat-sen at 12 years of age moves to Hawaii to live with his brother. This future Chinese revolutionary learns baseball there, and later uses his knowledge of the sport to reach political means. 1881 Because of "over-Americanization,"Chinese students abroad were called back to China. On the way back home they stopped in San Francisco and accepted a challenge from the Oakland Baseball club. 1895 Three universities in China: Beijing Huiwen University, Shanghai St. Johns University, and Beijing Tongzhou University all organize baseball activities. 1905 On May 2nd , a group of students from the Shanghai St. Johns University and the Shanghai YMCA baseball club meet, with St. Johns University coming out on top, winning the first baseball match in mainland China. 1907 The first official intercollegiate baseball tournament in Beijing between Tongzhou University and Huiwen University. 1911 On the eve of the Chinese revolution, revolution leader Sun Yat-sen organizes a baseball club in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. The Changsha baseball club mainly serves as a cover for military training, teaching young soldiers how to throw grenades. 1911 The Chinese Overseas baseball club is established in Hawaii. The team beats the New York Giants in an exhibition game in San Francisco. 1914 An American missionary, Willard L. Nash, a physics department chair of Suzhou University, organizes a sports club for the 6 Huadong area universities. St. Johns University wins the championship in the first year. The league expands to 8 teams in 1920, and the tournaments last until 1925. 1915 China participates in the first Greater Asia baseball match in Shanghai, taking second place to the Philippines. 1932 With Japan invading the northeastern part of the Chinese mainland, a battle between Japan and China erupts on a different field. Two teams from the American Pacific league play against each other, with a Chinese-American and a Japanese-American pivoted against each other as opposing starting pitchers. The starting pitcher for the Sacramento Senators is Hawaiian born Japanese player Kenso Nushida, and the starting pitcher for Oakland Oaks is a second generation Chinese-American player Li Genghong. 1941-1945 To protest prisoner concentration camps in a torn-apart Asia, baseball begins to flourish in US and Japanese prison camps. 1959 Under the leadership of the all-wise Chairman Mao, military and civilian teams attend lessons on "Baseball in the New China". Soon later, all teams are disbanded and baseball is outlawed as an evil western influence 1975 After the Cultural Revolution fails, baseball begins its return in China. 1976 Hong Kong organizes a baseball league with all Chinese players 1986 Under the direction of the Dodgers Peter O'Malley, a baseball stadium in Tianjin China is constructed. 1988 China coordinates the first baseball little league championship match with eleven and twelve year old kids. 1996 A Japanese professional team comes to China for the first time and plays two scrimmage games with the Chinese team. The main stars of the 22-man Japanese team come from Nagoya's Chunichi Dragons and Kobe's Orix Buffaloes. 2002 May The Chinese Baseball Association and PBL (Positive Baseball Limited), a sports investment company, establish 4 teams in a new Chinese league: the Beijing Vicious Lions, the Tianjin Fierce Lions, the Shanghai Golden Eagles, and the Guangdong Hunting Leopards. After one month of play, the Tianjin Fierce lions are crowned as the first champion of the Chinese Baseball League. 2002 June The company PBL arranges for the Chinese national team to visit Memphis, Tennessee to play with the NJCAA All-Stars, playing five games and winning three. The Junior College All-Stars win 3-2 in a dramatic game five by hitting a homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning. 2002 September The Chinese Baseball Association and marketing company Dynasty Sports Marketing (DSM) sign a six-year deal until the 2008 Olympics. (Dynasty Sports Marketing is a partnership composed of PBL, JSM (Jack Sasaki Marketing) and Jack Inc). The agreement pact includes the Chinese Baseball League, the Chinese Junior Baseball League, Chinese University Baseball League, and the carrying out of the Chinese Youth Baseball program "Swing for the Wall" 2003 March The Chinese Baseball Association names Tom McCarthy as vice-chair of the Chinese Baseball Association. Tom McCarthy is the first American in Chinese history to be named to an Official Chinese Sports Committee. 2003 April The Chinese Baseball Association and Dynasty Sports Marketing organize the first baseball regular season with three months of play. The league has a total of 48 games and 5 championship games. 2003 July The Chinese Baseball League is the first out of the other Chinese sports leagues to start playing games after SARS breaks out. The CBL also successfully completes its All-Star game in Tianjin.. 2003 August Beijing wins game 5 of the CBL championship in a stunning 11th inning 5-4 victory, winning the 2003 crown. 2003 September Dynasty Sports Marketing signs a special agreement with the Chinese Baseball League (CBL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) to invite 2 American Major League All-Stars, the Dodgers'Jim Lefevbre and the Red Sox Bruce Hurst to be the head coach and pitching coach of the Chinese National baseball team, helping the team prepare for the 2003 Asian Championships and the 2008 Olympics. Lefevbre and Hurst are the first Americans to serve as manager and coach to a Chinese team.　　 2003 September The Chinese National team arrives in Arizona as guests to the Seattle Mariners, and attend a week of training. 2003 October The Chinese National baseball team plays in Sapporo, Japan at the Asian games. The Chinese team loses a 1-3 game against Taipei, winning fourth place. 2003 November DSM signs a two year agreement with Major League Baseball, which includes the objective of training the National team and developing the National Junior team players. This is the first time in Chinese sports history to have a cooperative agreement with an American Professional Sports league. Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Show/Hide comments Write comment Show/Hide comment form Name Email Website Title Comment Write the displayed characters Add Comment Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved.

 

< Prev