for Andrea

Taiwan has a longstanding love affair with baseball. Here's a tidbit from Wikipedia about professional baseball in Taiwan:

The first official baseball team in Taiwan was formed in 1906, when the island was a Japanese colony, by the Middle School of the Taiwan Governor-General's National Language School (present-day Jianguo Senior High School; 建國高級中學), and the first organized baseball game was played by this team and the baseball team of the Normal School of the Taiwan Governor-General's National Language School (present-day Taipei Municipal University of Education). From 1906 through the mid 1920s, Taiwan's baseball teams consisted of mostly Japanese players. Taiwanese players didn't become actively involved in the sport until the “Neng-Gao Club” in the mid 1920s, and the Kano baseball team in the early 1930s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League was founded in 1989 with four teams and grew to seven at one point. As of 2009, there are four teams competing for the championship of Taiwan Series.

Interesting, no? Taiwan has produced a number of baseball talents, although the most famous is probably Wang Chien-ming, who currently plays for the Yankees. And from 1967 to 1996, Taiwan dominated the Little League World Series. The picture I've posted above is of a promotional figure standing in the High Speed Rail station in Tainan, clearly at the ready to play with anyone passing by.

Read more about baseball in Taiwan here!