The hongye legend in taiwanese baseball: Separating myth from reality

This paper examines the legend and reality behind Hongye youth baseball. Friendly games against Japan in 1968 created an impact that has a unique place within Taiwanese history. Established both by the government and the media, Hongye was not only hailed as the genesis of Taiwan's baseball, but also as part of a Chinese nation-building project that was acceptable within society. As a result, myths were added to those facts that had become part of the people's collective memory. Such myths still linger today. The truth behind Hongye, as argued here, is that the innovation was actually a tragedy in disguise, both for young players and Taiwanese baseball as a whole [1 [1] This essay employs the Pinyin romanization system, which is used in mainland China and also is internationally recognized, since the systems used in Taiwan are quite confusing. Except for Taipei, and references that are originally written in original fashion, all are in Pinyin style. For example, US-based players Tsao Chin-hui and Chen Chin-feng are written as Cao Jinhui and Chen Jinfeng respectively. ].