Tournament Launch and Growth in Xiamen and Beyond
The event traces its roots back to September 2021, when the Fujian Provincial Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party and the Fujian Provincial Federation of Trade Unions jointly organized the inaugural tournament in Xiamen. Early competition featured slow-pitch softball, badminton, and table tennis. The organizing committee designed the gathering to build a platform for interaction between mainland workers and Taiwanese employees stationed in Fujian.
Scale expanded in subsequent years. The second edition in 2022 drew 32 teams and over 280 athletes from six prefectures across Fujian, including nearly 150 participants from Taiwan. Over six years, the rotation of host cities grew to include Xiamen, Pingtan, Longyan Liancheng, and Fuzhou. Participation also widened geographically, reaching Matsu and drawing a team from Macao for the first time by 2026.
Building Cross-Strait Ties Through Softball and Basketball
Individual stories helped shape the tournament’s trajectory. Huang Boqin, serving as the Fuzhou Taiwan Business Association badminton team leader, participated in the inaugural event and subsequently participated for four consecutive tournaments. In 2024, his squad placed sixth in the three-person basketball tournament.
Meanwhile, Ye Kaijia established roots in Pingtan to promote baseball and softball, leading the Pingtan Cross-Strait Red Softball Team composed of local enthusiasts and resident Taiwanese workers. Collaborative momentum extended beyond recreational play, as Fujian and Taiwan jointly assembled a Fujian provincial baseball team that competed in the mainland baseball league and finished fifth at the National Games.
Cultural Evenings and Economic Integration
Organizers added off-field cultural programming during the fifth tournament in Liancheng County, Longyan City, introducing a “Players’ Night” talent show designed to foster personal connections. Tourism and industry tours accompanied the athletic schedule, taking participants through local technology firms, urban developments, and historical districts.
Luo Enpin, head of the Zhi Gong Party’s Fujian Provincial Committee, has overseen the expansion of the initiative. Official backing came from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council alongside provincial counterparts.
Cumulative Participation and Employment Impacts
Across six years, the tournament has registered 118 teams and nearly 1,200 total athletes, with more than half hailing from Taiwan and over 300 participants classified as young Taiwanese under the age of 45. Tournament organizers report that participation has correlated with more than 30 young Taiwanese individuals subsequently securing employment or starting businesses in Fujian.
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