Beijing team claim international youth baseball title

A baseball team from the Beijing Dacheng School has claimed the title in an international youth baseball tournament, which concluded over the weekend in Zhongshan, Guangdong province.

The Beijing side beat a youth team from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 11:3 in the final of the Youth Baseball Championship of Zhongshan Panda Cup.

A total of eight teams from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and South Korea took part in the tournament in Zhongshan, which is a major base for China’s baseball development.

Dongsheng, in Zhongshan, is the birthplace of Liang Fuchu, who was influential in bringing baseball to China in the early 20th century.

Liang, widely regarded as the father of Chinese baseball, created the Panda Cup in Shanghai in 1939.

Liang’s team received wide attention after beating international giants of the game, including the United States, Portugal, Britain and the Philippines.

His son, Liang Youwen, then 82 years old, returned to his hometown and began coaching a local teenage baseball team in 2007.