When the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024 takes place at the Shaoxing Baseball Softball Culture Center in China from 6-19 September the best of age-group international baseball will take place in a venue for the future, located in a city with a rich story to tell from the past.
The Historical City of Shaoxing
Established as the capital city of Yue State more than 2,500 years ago (490 B.C.), Shaoxing is one of the oldest cities in China and one of the most culturally enriched communities in eastern China. Situated on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in the northeastern Zhejiang province, China, Shaoxing has a population of 5.27 million, with nearly three million people in the metropolitan area on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary.
Shaoxing is known for its dense networks of rivers and lakes, where black awning boats are still one of the most popular means of transportation. Due to the number of rivers and waterways, Shaoxing is also known as a “country of bridges”. More than seven hundred ancient bridges are still in use, with more than 10 of them having existed for over one thousand years. In 2013, the government appointed 12 ancient bridges to the National Key Cultural Relic Protection list.
Shaoxing is also proud of its rice wine, “Shao Wine,” which is
made from pure water from Jianhu-Mirror Lake. The brewery utilizes a natural
process to produce wine with a unique flavor known nationally and
internationally. Shao wine is used as a liquor as well as in cooking, and can
be made into popsicles, which are very popular in summer.
In addition to the Shao Wine, Shaoxing is also known for its Meigan Cai (dry pickled Chinese mustard, cabbage, rape, and Chinese cabbage), which is frequently cooked with pork. Stinky tofu, which featured in the documentary “A Bite of China,” is also a famous local cuisine.
Notable Residents of Shaoxing
Wang Xizhi, arguably the most famous Chinese calligrapher in the history of China, made his name in Shaoxing after composing the famous “Preface of Orchid Pavilion Gathering” in 353 A.D. Wang also left many calligraphy in Shaoxing, with many important collections being displayed in the Orchid Pavilion Calligraphy Museum.
Shaoxing is also the ancestral home of the first Premier of the
People’s Republic of China, Zhou Enlai. It is also the home of modern Chinese
literature writer, critic, lecturer, translator, poet, designer, and state
servant Lu Xun. Cai Yuanpei, the Chinese philosopher and politician who was
influential in the history of modern Chinese education, the president of Peking
University, and the founder of the Academia Sinica, is also a Shoaxing native.
In 1982, the General Office of the State Council of the People’s
Republic of China awarded Shaoxing the status of National Historical and
Cultural City, along with 23 other cities, as the “State-list famous historical
and culture cities.”
In 2008, Shaoxing was awarded the United Nations Habitat Scroll
of Honor.
Shaoxing Baseball Softball Culture Center
The 160,000-square-meter Shaoxing Baseball Softball Culture Center was built for the Asian Games 2022 Hangzhou. The state-of-the-art facility is the largest baseball-softball complex in China, with artificial turf, LED lighting, and a video board in all fields.
The Centre has two international-standard baseball fields and two international-standard softball fields. The multifunctional facility also includes an indoor arena with multi-use courts, a swimming pool, a rooftop soccer field in an adjacent building, and a hotel specifically designed to allow large-scale tournaments to be held on the site.
The architectural project is headed by the Hangzhou-based UAD
Architectural Office, which specializes in educational, cultural, and sports
architecture. The design statement states, “The design draws inspiration from
the artistic conception and textile culture of Shaoxing Water Town, showing a
unique idea that fits the region.” “The architectural facade extracts
curvilinear elements from traditional cultural symbols such as silk belts,
scrolls, and tile roofs, and uses curved perforated aluminum plate material to
create the image of Jiangnan with continuous waves.”
The baseball stadiums have spacious locker rooms, dugouts, indoor batting cages and indoor bullpens, among other international-standard function rooms for baseball, media and broadcasting operations. The first field seats 5,000 spectators, while the second field accommodates 2,500.
Twenty-five baseball games were held in the Shaoxing Baseball Stadium during the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, and the facility has been praised by participating teams and international officials.
During the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024, fifty games will be held on both fields starting 6 September, with the world championship game on 15 September 2024.
