In the summer of 2019, the first standard baseball field in Zhejiang Province, the "Jufu Baseball Field", was officially completed in Cangqian Street, Yuhang District, Hangzhou City. This is actually a bit "obtrusive". Cangqian Street had no baseball tradition in the past and had never produced famous players. However, in just a few years, it has become one of the areas with the strongest baseball atmosphere in the country.
What is even more unusual is that the builder of the stadium is not a government agency or a club dedicated to cultivating top baseball talents, but more than 40 ordinary fathers with different professional backgrounds in Liangzhu Cultural Village. Most of them have only been exposed to baseball for three to five years at most. The purpose of raising money to build the stadium is simple enough to be summarized in one sentence - "Let the children who have lost their training ground have a ball to play."
This is not an inspirational story about hoping that your children will become successful and hope that their children will change their destiny through baseball. Most of these 40-odd fathers have no intention of letting their children embark on the path of professional baseball or applying to prestigious overseas schools. What they want is a bond that connects their families more closely. Yesterday coincided with Father's Day. During an offline game viewing event organized by MLB (Major League Baseball) for nearly a hundred pairs of baseball-loving fathers and sons, many pairs of fathers and sons who participated in the construction of the "Father's Baseball Stadium" told reporters about this. A heartwarming story that has nothing to do with utilitarianism.
A father is a child’s first mentor in life
The story of “Raising a Father to a Baseball Field” dates back to 2014. In the Liangzhu Cultural Village adjacent to the Liangzhu ruins, a retired Taiwanese couple named "Uncle Jack" and "Sister Wendy" founded a charity parent-child baseball team. The original intention of founding the team came from Uncle Jack's personal experience. He had lived in mainland China for many years and had worked away from home all year round. Fortunately, because of their shared love for baseball, he and his son always had endless topics to talk about. After witnessing some fathers around him who were too busy making a living and had no time to take care of their families, Uncle Jack decided to use his beloved baseball as a bond to help more families with absent fathers establish a closer parent-child relationship.
started with only two or three groups of families participating, and later developed to dozens of families. As the team continues to grow, one purpose has never changed - here, children are taught how to swing and how to pitch. "Teacher" is not a professional coach, but their father. "Every Sunday is our training day. Dads finish training in the morning and take their children to practice hand-in-hand in the afternoon." Father and son Wang Zufeng and Wang Zewen joined the parent-child baseball team in 2016. At that time, the team had not yet invited professional coaches. Instead, Uncle Jack, an amateur, and another friend from his hometown taught the fathers the basic rules and techniques of baseball. "The reason why Uncle Jack doesn't go off directly to teach the children how to play is because he firmly believes that the father is the first mentor in his children's life."
"He has a more cheerful personality, makes more friends, and is more considerate and understanding." "Elders," this is the change that Wang Zufeng has seen in his children. The most important thing is, "Because of baseball, my children and I have more time to get along and have common topics." The biggest difference from traditional family education is this kind of relationship. The model is not one-way indoctrination from parents to their children, but two generations growing together in the process of exploring the path to baseball. This requires more equal communication and sometimes even creates healthy competition between father and son. "Not long ago, our team defeated my dad's team for the first time." When asked about the most impressive story in the process of learning baseball, Wang Zewen gave this answer. According to his father Wang Zufeng's recollection, the child was extremely excited after the game that day. The first thing he did was to "call his mother to show off." However, when more and more fathers and sons and fathers and daughters embark on the road of baseball together, the real dilemma Coming. Originally, the parent-child baseball team would train at a school near Liangzhu Cultural Village every weekend, but later the venue needed to be used for other purposes, and a wandering journey began. "We have been to several parks, but it was too dangerous for people to come and go. Later, we went to a university to borrow a venue, but that venue was also renovated later."According to Wang Zufeng, after repeatedly hitting the wall, a bold idea emerged in everyone's mind - why not build one ourselves?
"Dad will give you a stadium"
After looking at six or seven venues, everyone set their sights on Cangqian Street. A piece of land for construction. It was originally a brick and tile factory in the village, but it has been abandoned for many years. More importantly, this regular-shaped land has the potential to build a standard baseball field for more than 40 families. The funds were raised, the construction costs were in place, and the project began.
Although he had never designed a baseball field, Wang Zufeng, an architect, was familiar with the site construction specifications and started to draw up the blueprint after consulting the information; a person who manages construction in an engineering company. My father used his spare time after get off work to conduct inspections with theodolite and other measuring equipment; many of the materials used in the construction were purchased by another father who came from the decoration industry; more than 40 fathers from different industries used their respective specialties. Even if their field has nothing to do with the project, they will use their free time to go to the site to supervise the construction. Also concerned about the progress of the construction day and night are the children who are eager to return to the stadium - led by their parents, they go there again and again. Construction waste is being cleared at the construction site; around the stadium are saplings planted by the children. These saplings will grow with them for many years to come. There is one last problem that needs to be solved before the stadium is built, and that is the name. After rounds of discussions, "Jufu" stood out from the shortlist. This is the name of a mythical beast in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". Its good throwing characteristics coincide with the sport of baseball, and "Jufu"'s name is the same. The literal meaning is "Lifting the Power of Father", which coincides with the origin of this stadium. On the day when the stadium was officially completed, a ceremony called "Dad Gives You a Stadium" was held. Fathers would print the words "Lifting Father's Stadium". The commemorative sticks with the words "" were handed into the hands of the children. According to Yu Xianlong's recollection, at that moment he saw tears of excitement in his daughter's eyes. "Before my daughter was 3 years old, I was busy starting a business and rarely had time to accompany her. It was not until I practiced baseball with her later that I realized more and more how precious it was to witness her growth. "In Yu Xianlong's view, even if the stadium is demolished or relocated one day in the future, he will not regret his efforts. "It is not only us fathers who built this stadium, but also the contributions of our children. These are immeasurably precious memories in their lives. "
There is a little-known romantic design in the "Fathers Baseball Field". When the field was being built, the fathers buried a jar of wine under the home plate area. "We agreed that if one day the land lease comes When the stadium is about to be moved during the period, we will drink this jar of wine together. Not out of sadness, but to commemorate the joy this stadium brings to us and our children. "Wang Zufeng said.
Author: Xie Xiaotian
Editor: Gu Miao
