Junwei Yu

PROUD TO BE CHINESE: LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL AND NATIONAL IDENTITIES IN TAIWAN DURING THE 1970s 1

Defeated by the communists in 1949, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) sought refuge in Taiwan under the conditions of war and aggression that produced strong defensive nationalism and an intensive struggle for national identification. The KMT faced a dual crisis of legitimacy during the 1970s, both domestically and internationally, after being expelled from the United Nations. The urgency of seeking recognition within the boundary by the Taiwanese and beyond by the overseas Chinese led the KMT to use Little League Baseball (LLB) as a form of cultural symbolism, from which “Chinese identity” came to be manifested. This Chinese nation-building project engaged in by KMT elites was extremely successful and demonstrated the extent to which elites have the capacity to forge national sentiment on the basis of an imagined community. This process also successfully solicited support from the overseas Chinese to continue standing by a “Free China,” whose legitimacy had been eroded under the “Red China” onslaught. The eventual demise of this project was, in part, the result of pressure from rival elites with an ability to manufacture an alternative identity that drew upon more primordial factors.

The Confucian legacy and its implications for physical education in Taiwan

Through a particular case study, this article seeks to demonstrate the relevance of cultural history to physical activity and physical education. For generations of East Asian people who have lived with the influence of Confucianism, the disposition to engage with sport has commonly been absent. Over a number of centuries, the Chinese constructed a unique wen-version of manhood — in other words, an anti-physical culture, which contrasted sharply with the Western world’s muscular Christianity and also with Japan’s samurai spirit, both of which associated physical fitness with an ideal of vigorous masculinity. This article examines the origins and development of the Confucian perspective, considers modern challenges to that perspective, most notably in the People’s Republic of China, and outlines the extent to which it remains highly influential in at least one East Asian country — namely, Taiwan. We conclude that, as a consequence of the influence of Confucianism, an unfortunate imbalance between wen and wu persists in modern Taiwan with important implications for physical education, sport and certain forms of exercise.

Confucianism, baseball and ethnic stereotyping in Taiwan

Unlike the experience of indigenous people in some societies, notably North America and Australia, where there is a significant modern sporting culture to which indigenous people contribute relatively little, in Taiwan the situation is reversed. Here the sporting culture is relatively underdeveloped in large part, we argue, because of the continuing influence of Confucian ideas, but aborigines play a disproportionately significant role not least in what is the most visible aspect of that sporting culture – baseball. Drawing upon existing published work together with interviews and personal communications, this article examines the extent to which sport in Taiwan, and specifically baseball, reflects the ongoing influence of Confucian attitudes towards physical cultures in Taiwanese society not least in relation to the stereotyping of the island’s indigenous population. Given the status of baseball as Taiwan’s national sport and in light of the contribution made to national teams by aboriginal players, these findings are hugely significant. They suggest that, as in the case of women, traditional Confucian values not only have an impact in relation to physical activity but, by extension, affect the ways in which a specific social group is perceived more widely.

Schooling Taiwan's Aboriginal Baseball Players for the Nation.

One of the major challenges that faces nation-builders in postcolonial societies is the incorporation of subaltern groups, particularly aboriginal peoples, into a collective national project. One vehicle for addressing this challenge is sport with schools being amongst the most important venues. This article offers an empirical study of the role of aboriginal players in Taiwanese baseball. By examining the schooling and historic achievements of aboriginal players in the Nenggao and Hongye teams and the role of aboriginal players during the more recent post-martial law period, the study challenges some commonly held views concerning the relationship between baseball and Taiwanese national identity. In particular, the article analyzes the role of the state in its use of baseball to support the co-option of aboriginal players for the nation-building project. The study concludes that the state, regardless of which ruling elite is in power, has consistently manipulated Taiwans indigenous peoples, not least through the education system, in order to achieve certain political objectives, specifically in relation to nation-building. Furthermore, although baseball remains an important avenue for the social and economic advancement of individual aborigines, recurrent scandals linked to exploitation have been consistent characteristics of state policy.

China's Foreign Policy in Sport: The Primacy of National Security and Territorial Integrity Concerning the Taiwan Question

Traditionally, research that examines foreign policy in sport often revolves around the prestige, status, welfare and protection of ethnic or human kin. However, this article argues that from the outset, Chinas foreign policy on sport vis-a-vis Taiwan has placed national security and territorial integrity as its number one priority. Chinese leaders have developed a carrot-and-stick policy. On the one hand, an “Olympic formula” has been devised enabling Taiwan to participate in non-governmental international organizations such as the Olympics. On the other hand, a “one China principle” has been imposed, to treat Taiwan as a local province that ceases to be a sovereign state. The 2008 Beijing Olympics is a perfect arena for China to use the two doctrines interchangeably.

Dancing around the elephant: the Beijing Olympics - Taiwanese reflections and reactions.

In 1987 the ban on sporting exchanges between Taiwan and China was lifted. However, the subsequent growing power of China on the worlds sports stage has had repercussions within Taiwan. Government and people now have an ambivalent attitude – a mixture of pride and suspicion – towards their aggressive neighbour and what they see as attempted Chinese sporting hegemony. Taiwan wants to promote good relations with China through sport but Taiwan also wants to preserve its national identity through sport. The Taiwanese view Beijing 2008 as a direct and indirect act of Chinese political hegemony involving overt and covert messages of the inevitability of ‘reunification’. These messages are unacceptable and will be ignored.

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 Taiwans 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 peoples 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].

Magic and superstition in baseball in Taiwan: an examination of the Puyama aborigines’ use of the betel nut

Much work has been published on the place of rituals in numerous areas of life with reference both to general activities and, more specifically, to sport. As yet, however, there has been no significant study of the use of magic by and on behalf of players in Taiwan where baseball can legitimately be described as the national sport. This article seeks to fill that void by focusing in particular on the practices of the islands Puyama aboriginal people and the use of the betel nut to cast spells on opponents. The data for this study were collected during two research trips to Taidong County, where the Puyuma have traditionally used betel nuts on the baseball field for magical purposes. It is apparent from a series of personal reminiscences that the use of the betel nut spell had an influence on Puyama players and opponents alike. Its passing owes much to the increased acceptance of seemingly more rational ways of instilling confidence in athletes. The author argues, however, that the modern recourse to the sport sciences has much in common with the Puyama belief in the power of the betel nut.