By Sheng Taotao

Something extraordinary happened to Da Mu Cang primary school in 2002. For a start, it changed its name to Xidan primary school. Then it was relocated to some of the most expensive land in town, wrapped in compacted skyscrapers, office buildings, residential buildings, and major department stores in the Xidan area of Beijing.

Looking down from the 33rd floor of a bank headquarters next door, the sports field at Xidan primary school looks like the bottom of a deep green well. The school has 376 students in total, one 10th of the size of the primary school just a few blocks away.

But there is something amazing about the school. It won the China Youth Baseball League championship last year. But that was always expected. After all, one of the sponsors who financed Xidan baseball team's rebirth was the American MLB (Major League Baseball). The MLB's Beijing representative office is however flushed with pride that its investment is starting to pay off.

Not popular

Now considered one of the most important baseball-training bases in China, the Xidan team was founded in 1982. And they won their first champion in 1987. The MLB began cooperating with the team (and the attendant school) in 2003.

The boys are aged between 7 and 12. Some come from migrant families working in the Xidan area.

"Baseball is a tradition of Xidan primary school," said Zhang Lei, head coach of the team, and the only male sports coach at the school. He has been leading the team since he graduated from college in 1992.

Yet, Zhang has not got many boys to choose from. Out of 376 students, more than half are girls. "We don't have the luxury [to select the best]. All we do is to present the charm of the game and make the parents interested first. Not every family can afford 5,000 yuan ($730) per year for an unpopular sport in China. But I suppose they are more attracted to the fact that their boys get the baseball training and are credited to go to a good middle school in five years," he said.

Over the past 25 years, Xidan baseball team has always been in the top three in China's Youth Baseball League. Some graduates become professional players after they leave Xidan.

The Xidan primary school baseball team at a China Youth Baseball League match. Photos: Courtesy of Xidan primary school
 

Meng Qingyuan, a 1994 Xidan graduate, is a Beijing baseball team player, and comes back to his old school to volunteer coaching boys on Sundays. "I have a cherished memory of Xidan. It changed my life and sent me on the right track. I have never wanted any other career but baseball," he said.

When Cal Ripken, Jr., a former MLB shortstop and third baseman who played his entire career for the Baltimore Orioles, made a 10-day-trip through China in 2007, he made a special stop at Xidan primary school to meet the boys. "We use baseball to get in front of the kids, communicate with them and have an exchange about principles and values in life," said Ripken.

He conducted a skill clinic similar to those Ripken Baseball holds in the US. He planned to include hundreds of children and coaches with little familiarity with baseball.

Obviously while a sport like table tennis is a point of passion for the Chinese, baseball is still relatively obscure.

Grown-ups

The Xidan baseball team has "four serious games to play" each year: Two matches in Beijing and two matches in other cities, according to Tong Zhou, a grade four student. They have training three hours after school every weekday plus the whole of Sunday to prepare for each match.

The training is intense. Some parents want to give up because the boys barely have any time to study other subjects. "But we all want to win more than we want to have better grades in mathematics class," Tong continued. "I learnt something by playing baseball. The partnership of the whole team is very important. One needs to sacrifice for others to run safe and to score. We need to play smart."

Wu Haizheng, a pitcher, also in grade four, has been training baseball for two and half years. His father is a busy banker, but he still comes to see the training every Sunday and stays with the boys the whole day. Sunday's post-training meal is Mr Wu's treat. For the four serious matches of the year, he travels with the team and helps out. The boys call him Manager Wu.

Mr Wu believes that these boys have been trained not only for sports but also to have the qualities to face danger, fear and frustration. Winning the game gives the boys a sense of honor while losing it may not be a bad thing. After all there are too many children in the city who are spoiled and don't know how to deal with the defeat.

Zhang Chengyang, in grade six, wrote in his diary of last year's championship battle: "…We had a long and hard defense but we made it. This is a battle of revenge. The victory embraced me, so did my mom. Hopefully she won't call me a little boy after this…"

To be or not to be

The year past for Xidan boys was good and bad. The bad news was that baseball will not be included in the 2012 London Olympics. Coach Zhang Lei explained that in the long run, this could mean less professional athletes choosing to play baseball in China because "what is the point?"

And speaking of ball parks, Beijingers are not expecting any more than the current number of four of them in Beijing. "Tokyo has 400 ball parks," Zhang added.

The message to aspiring baseball players and fans is very clear. Who would want to invest in a sport which officials and parents see as pointless?

But investors have come. Last June, famous Chinese sports financier Huang Jianhua, who is known for having purchased a stake in the NBA team Cleveland Cavaliers, announced the signing of a 15-year-deal with the Chinese Baseball Association for him to help China develop a Youth Baseball League.

"The boys felt relieved hearing this," said Zhang. "Baseball suits Asian people very much. Japanese and Chinese Taipei teams proved this. But they all start training from the youth group."

By the time we leave Xidan primary school, Qiu Fuzhi, an 11-year-old batter, tells us that there is a Chinese named Wang Chienming (王建æ°') who is a pitcher at New York Yankees. "He's Chinese and he's from Taiwan! Go check him out on the website," the boy said proudly.

shengtaotao@globaltimes.com.cn