Han Ximin 1824295095@qq.com THE finals for the fourth Cross-Strait Student Baseball League started at the Zhongshan Park baseball court in Nanshan District in Shenzhen on Saturday, marking the start of the Cross-Strait Exchange and Integration Month. The inauguration ceremony gathered more than 2,000 guests from the mainland and Taiwan. Shenzhen Mayor Qin Weizhong said the city will further deepen economic and cultural exchanges, and enhance practical cooperation with Taiwan in various fields. The city will also strive to foster closer ties between Shenzhen and Taiwan compatriots through exchanges in science and technology, sports and culture, and implement policies benefiting Taiwan compatriots and investors. In the coming week, a total of 840 baseball players in 32 teams, including 20 teams from the mainland and 12 teams from Taiwan, will compete in four categories, namely the University Group, U18, U15, and U12. The games will be held at eight baseball courts across Nanshan, including the Southern University of Science and Technology, Longzhu Middle School, and OCT Middle School. Huang Bing-hong, a student from Taiwan Fuying Junior High School, was excited about the competition. “It is my first time in Shenzhen, and the court here is better than in Taiwan. I hope to have a unique experience and learn more about the city through exchanges with other teams,” Huang said. Zheng Kaisi, a Shenzhen student from OCT Middle School, was also excited and hoped to improve his baseball skills through exchanges with fellow students from Taiwan. Baseball has started to gain popularity among students in Nanshan, with schools opening various clubs in recent years. So far, over 20,000 students in 30 schools in Shenzhen have trained in such clubs. Seven schools in Nanshan have become model schools, featuring high-level baseball training. Among which, OCT Middle School has been selected as a model school for high-level baseball training and integration of education and training. The baseball competition is one of the highlights of over 30 activities covering six sectors such as culture, sports, youth, and media during the exchange month. The Zhongshan Park baseball court and Tianhou Museum in Nanshan play a prominent role in cross-Strait exchanges. The sites were designated as national-level cross-Strait exchange bases by the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council in October. (Continued on P2) (From Page 1) Official data showed trade between Shenzhen and Taiwan stood at 487.2 billion yuan (US$66.84 billion) in 2022, up by 7.2% year on year, accounting for 22.6% of the total trade between the mainland and Taiwan. There are about 50,000 Taiwan compatriots living in Shenzhen. The baseball court at Zhongshan Park in Nanshan District, covering 20,000 square meters, as well as other school facilities in the district, has hosted the finals of the Cross-Strait Student Baseball League for three years since it was first held in the city in 2017. It is the biggest individual cross-Strait sporting activity, attracting 116 student baseball teams and about 3,000 players in three years. Tianhou Museum, also known as Chiwan Mazu Temple, is a temple honoring the Chinese goddess Mazu, the goddess of the sea and the patron deity of fishermen, sailors, and all occupations related to the sea and oceans. The goddess is worshiped on both sides of the Strait. The temple, with a history dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), was rated at the top of the “eight scenic spots of Xin’an County” in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The museum has received more than 10 million group and individual visitors from Taiwan since its establishment in 1997. It has also organized multiple tours to Taiwan and developed cross-Strait Mazu cultural exchanges. Taiwan has more than 1,000 registered temples with Mazu as their main deity, which serve about 17 million Mazu devotees, more than two-thirds of the population on the island. | 