A view of Xujiadai International Baseball Stadium (COURTESY)

In the countryside of east Zhejiang Province, a quiet village has hit a home run. Xujiadai, once a place known for pig farming and environmental pollution, is drawing visitors from across China with a sport still uncommon in the country: baseball. 

At the heart of this transformation is the village’s International Baseball Stadium. “All 24 top-level competitions scheduled for 2026 are already planned, and preparations are in full swing,” said Mo Yun, communications officer for Lindai Town in Jiaxing City, the village’s administrative centre. 

Why would a tiny village build a professional baseball stadium? And how did a sport few in China follow become a spark for rural revival? 

The story of Xujiadai demonstrates how a niche sport can spark rural revitalisation. With bold ideas, community effort, and cultural creativity, the village has transformed an unlikely concept into a model for rural development. 

Players compete in the U10 group of the 2025 National Youth Baseball Championship at Xujiadai International Baseball Stadium (COURTESY) 

A novel vision 

Ten years ago, Xujiadai’s residents depended largely on pig farming, an activity that caused serious environmental damage. In 2017, amid a nationwide push for rural environmental improvement, Liu Jianqun, the newly appointed secretary of the CPC Xujiadai Committee, faced a pressing question: how to inject sustainable economic momentum into a village in transition? 

Looking around the village, Liu saw an opportunity. At the time, Pinghu, the county-level city overseeing Xujiadai, was home to many international companies. As a former corporate executive, he noticed that company leaders often travelled to Shanghai on weekends to play baseball. His eyes landed on an abandoned, flood-prone plot at the village entrance, cleared of old pigsties. A bold idea took shape: turn the land into a baseball stadium that could put Xujiadai on the sports tourism map. 

Once approved, action followed quickly. Despite technical challenges, Liu and local residents built a youth baseball stadium in the middle of the fields in just a few months. 

In November 2018, the stadium hosted its first regional tournament, drawing teams from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. Participation exceeded expectations, with more than 20 teams signing up. “We never imagined that a ‘niche’ sport could inspire such enthusiasm,” Liu said. 

The village remained largely unknown in the baseball world until 2019, when it hosted a national junior championship that drew the attention of the Chinese Baseball Association. During a visit, one official, struck by the enthusiasm, said, “It is unprecedented in China for a village to take baseball so seriously!” 

The recognition marked a turning point. From 2020 onward, the national junior championship became a regular event in Xujiadai, earning the village the nickname “China’s Number One Baseball Village.” 

As the competitions grew, the original stadium quickly proved too small. To meet demand, the village invested 50 million yuan ($7.1 million) in a new international-standard stadium. Opened in July 2025, the 12,500-square-metre facility, twice the size of its predecessor, enabled Xujiadai to host international competitions. Having hosted more than 100 sporting events, the village now stands as a beacon of rural sport in east China. 

A competition is being held at Xujiadai International Baseball Stadium on 19 August 2025 (COURTESY) 

A village transformed 

The economic benefits of these competitions are clear. According to Mo, the U10 group of the 2025 National Youth Baseball Championship, which ran for 20 days and featured 52 teams, generated more than 4.5 million yuan ($642,000). 

The tournaments have also boosted local tourism: accommodations are fully booked, agricultural products sell quickly, and hotels in Pinghu benefit from the overflow. 

During peak season, the village focuses on event-related services such as lodging and catering. In the off-season, it offers themed activities: team-building exercises, study trips, training programmes, and family excursions that combine fruit picking with visits to the baseball park, keeping visitors engaged year-round. 

Its offerings continue to expand. A new multifunctional centre beside the stadium now hosts exhibitions, seminars, and celebrations. In the first six months of 2025, it staged more than 200 events, and lawn weddings are fully booked until 2028. 

In 2024, Xujiadai received nearly 1 million visitors. The village has developed an integrated industrial chain combining sport, tourism, and traditional culture. More than 500 local jobs have been created, and the village’s income has risen from around 1.3 million yuan ($185,000) in 2018 to over 8 million yuan ($1.1 million) in 2025. 

Baseball is now part of life in Xujiadai, not just a source of income. When the stadium was built, Lindai Town handpicked over 40 students to create the Little Dragons baseball club. The team has gone on to win 18 championships, and a full training system now supports players from U8 to U18. 

To make baseball more accessible, the village has promoted Baseball5, a simplified version of the sport, and organised competitions for farmers. In 2025, neighbouring townships joined for the first time, with more than 100 participants. 

Xujiadai also integrates baseball with local intangible cultural heritage, including Jiucailong (nine-colour dragon dance) and Yaokuaichuan (rowing race). Staging these traditional performances alongside matches strengthens village identity and boosts the appeal of the events. 

Sport is now treated as a strategic driver of urban-rural integration and shared prosperity in Zhejiang. “Xujiadai’s model is replicable,” Mo observed. “The key is to select a clear focus, target it precisely, and develop it professionally. That is how rural incomes can be sustainably increased and the urban-rural gap reduced.”  

A statue featuring baseball in Xujiadai Village (COURTESY)