On October 12, 2024, the 2024 Straits Youth Slow-Pitch Softball Invitational kicked off in Yinchuan, Ningxia.
The event, themed “Batting for Youth, Connecting Across Mountains,” aims to create a platform for young people from both sides of the strait to build friendships, engage in dialogue, and strengthen bonds through the love of the sport. Over the course of eight days, the competition will feature 15 teams and over 300 participants, marking it as the largest youth exchange event in Ningxia to date. Among the teams, 12 hail from Taiwan, including nine teams with nearly 200 players, as well as three teams from Taiwan associations based in Chengdu, Changsha, and Kunshan, totaling 54 participants. The three mainland teams are from Gansu’s Xinwei team, Inner Mongolia’s Buta 09 team, and Yeyou Gongfang team from Ningxia.
At the venue, players from both sides showcased their skills in pitching, hitting, and running bases, embodying the passion and energy of youth. “This is my first time in Ningxia, and the field is beautiful. I feel comfortable and relaxed enough to enjoy the competition,” shared Xu Bokai, a player from Taiwan’s Sun Star team.
In addition to the softball matches, the event includes a series of cultural exchange activities. Young participants will visit various local sites, such as the Helan Mountain rock paintings, Zhihuiyuan Winery, the Zhongwei Data Center Industrial Park, and the Ningxia Water Conservancy Museum. These immersive experiences are designed to foster continued interactions beyond the field, allowing participants to appreciate the natural beauty, ecological richness, quality of life, and developmental advancements in the Yinchuan region, as well as the enduring harmony and unity among the diverse ethnic communities in Ningxia.
This event is organized under the guidance of the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, with joint sponsorship from the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the Ningxia Taiwan Compatriots Friendship Association, the Ningxia Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Ningxia Sports Bureau, in collaboration with the Yinchuan Sports Bureau and the Ningxia Softball Association.
