Lu Chin-lin, a baseball coach from Taipei, Taiwan, dreams of making baseball the county sport of Liancheng, a mountainous county in Fujian province, before his retirement.

"In every field in Liancheng, I hope to see our kids with bats and gloves, playing baseball," he said.

Baseball is a popular sport in Taiwan, and Lu has been fascinated by it since childhood.

He described it as a "sport of coming home" because to score a point, a player has to run through all the bases and get to home plate. For him, the pursuit of his dream on the Chinese mainland is also a "homecoming" journey.

Liancheng is known as China's "Baseball Town" due to its baseball equipment industry. In 2006, a Taiwan investor became the first person to set up a factory in the county to manufacture baseball gloves, choosing the area due to its low labor cost and location, which made it easier to transport goods.

Following this success, more Taiwan investors arrived to produce baseball bats, balls and other equipment to be exported to Europe, the United States, Japan and South Korea.

As the industry grew, the county decided to bring in Taiwan coaches to offer baseball classes at primary and middle schools. Lu arrived in 2016, visiting several campuses to teach children how to play the sport.

When he arrived, the baseball fields were tucked away in the corners of campuses, and the players would have to step aside when the track and field teams practiced, he recalled.

"But the hardworking and dedicated students persuaded me to stay," he said.

One distinctive feature of Lu's team, which is composed of both boys and girls, is that all of the boys have shaved heads, symbolizing their collective commitment to their rigorous training. Due to regular outdoor training sessions, the boys' darkened heads stand out prominently.

In 2019, the team achieved third place in the national junior baseball championship U12 club group. The baseball program in Liancheng has gradually flourished, due to growing support from the children and their parents.

Chen Jingchao, a parent of one of the players, said: "To these kids, the coach's defining trait is his strictness, and what they say most often is, 'we've never met a coach this strict before'. But the coach cares for the kids very much. For example, he often visited their homes and also bought training shoes for some kids whose families had financial difficulties."

Luo Zhipeng, a college student from Liancheng, has been learning baseball from Lu since 2016. He has obtained an umpire certificate and has officiated in cross-Strait baseball leagues. Thanks to the sport, he has had many opportunities to compete in other cities and may travel to Taiwan for exchanges soon.

"Lu was my coach on the field, but off the field, he feels more like a homie, an elder brother," he said. "I aspire to return to my hometown in the future and become a baseball teacher like him."

Four of Lu's students hold national second-class referee certificates. He hopes they earn their national first-class referee certificates, so referees from Liancheng can officiate at national events in the future.

As baseball grows popular in the county, professional baseball fields have been built, hosting over 20 cross-Strait baseball exchange events.

This summer, a cross-Strait youth baseball exchange tournament was held in Liancheng, with teams from Taiwan elementary schools visiting the town. During the games, young players from both sides, standing on the sidelines, took turns singing and shouting cheers and playfully mocking their opponents with chants such as "The opposing pitcher can't throw it in".

After the matches, children from both sides mingled, exchanging small gifts and contact information. Many Taiwan players expressed their desire to invite their new mainland friends to Taiwan to watch baseball games.

"I hope this game can truly be carried out and maintained each year so both sides can truly connect," Lu said.

"Playing the same ball in the same field and speaking the same language, they realize they are all part of the same family."

Contact the writers at zhangyi1@chinadaily.com.cn