Character Building on the Baseball Diamond:

On the day of our visit, shouts and the sounds of bats striking balls echo out of the baseball field.

A legendary baseball school

In 2025 the China Times devoted its entire front page to Dong Yuan Elementary’s victory in the Little League World Series (LLWS), a baseball tournament for children aged 10–12 held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Over the past three decades and more, nearly every graduating class at Dong Yuan has included players who were later drafted by professional teams, such as Chen Kuan-jen, a rookie of the year and magnificent hitter who played for the Brother Elephants; Sun Yi-lei, who is developing his talents in the pros in Japan; Chang You-jia of the Wei ­Chuan Dragons; Chiang Kun-yu of the CTBC Brothers; and Lin Tzu-wei of the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions. All wore the Dong Yuan uniform as children.

There is much baseball history here. The team museum includes the recommendation letter written by ­Chiang Kun-yu’s father when his son transferred to Dong Yuan, and a commemorative ball from the first time Sun Yi-lei took the mound in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Besides its remarkable on-field successes and many star graduates, thanks to support from the Taipei City Government Dong Yuan also boasts Taiwan’s first school indoor baseball batting practice facility, housed in a co-­constructed building shared with the Taipei Metro.

Team manager Happy Lai insists on the principle: “First build character, then teach baseball.”

The baseball museum at Dong Yuan Elementary School has shirts worn by Sun Yi-lei during his career in Japan, as well as a commemorative ball from the first time he took the mound in Nippon Professional Baseball.

The museum collection includes congratulatory baseballs signed by players and by people from various walks of life after the Dong Yuan team won the Little League World Series.

The trick to cultivating talent

When asked about the mindset behind cultivating high-quality baseball talent, team manager Happy Lai, who first came to Dong Yuan in 1993, emphasizes that it is rooted in “diligent practice.”

For example, says Lai, whenever there is a four-day holiday, the team practices on at least two days; they practice on weekends, and during the week they practice after class. They practice even harder during summer and winter vacations, not only taking no days off, but practicing all day long. In this way they develop skills and endurance.

Dong Yuan boasts the first indoor batting practice facility in a school in all of Taiwan, with a floor covered with specially made artificial turf. It permits three sets of players to practice batting, pitching, and catching at the same time. It also has advanced equipment, including a smart pitching machine and radar equipment for measuring pitch speed.

Coaches precisely analyze the motions of both pitchers and hitters. Through many repetitions of the same basic motions, players can build up coordination and good habits.

“One minute in the limelight takes ten years of hard work behind the scenes.” Only by intensive practice can players improve their on-field abilities.

Character first, classwork second, baseball third

“Hello, Coach!” When they see their imposing coach, all the players on the team greet him respectfully. Lai avers that the reason the Dong Yuan Little League team has always had the support of teachers and parents is that he has held to the same educational ideal throughout his 33-year career: “First build character, then teach baseball.” 

The Dong Yuan squad’s rules on basic manners and comportment are very strict. Players who fail to finish their schoolwork, get in fights, or bully other students are all punished by being excluded from taking part in games or practice. The prospect of being scolded by the manager is a powerful deterrent. With the authority to suspend players from games and practice, the coach can exert even greater disciplinary influence than classroom teachers.

Lai assesses the individual abilities of each child and then works with their guidance counselor to arrange step-by-step academic goals. For players who hate doing homework, he extracts promises to do a little bit each day. By achieving small goals each day and gradually raising their sights, players can build up the motivation and habits needed for learning. For example, Sung Cheng-jui, a player for the CPBL’s CTBC Brothers, never did his homework when he started out, but Lai “managed” him until he would buckle down and finish it all.

The mindset behind cultivating baseball talent at Dong Yuan includes “mastering the basics” and “diligent practice.” 

2025 world champions

In 2025, Dong Yuan again stood at the peak of the Little League mountain, winning the LLWS once more. It had been 53 years since a team from Taipei City (also Dong Yuan) had last won the tournament, and 29 years since any Taiwanese squad had finished on top.

Lai admits that becoming champion requires the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time, with the right people. This group of children had exceptional athletic ability and talent. For instance, pitcher Lin Chin-tse was able to throw at 132 kilometers per hour, though naturally his training at Dong Yuan was also important. Moreover, during the arduous double-elimination qualifying round, none of the players got sick or injured, with everyone able to fight to the end without any health problems. It was only thanks to such factors that the team could bring home this title, causing a nationwide sensation.

Perseverance and hard work

When asked their ambitions for the future, first- and second-­grade team members all say the same thing: “Become a professional baseball player.” But for Happy Lai, after more than 30 years on the job his greatest sense of accomplishment comes not only from seeing kids who have continued to play performing at a high level, but also seeing kids who didn’t continue to play become upstanding members of society thanks to their athletic experiences.

Dong Yuan Elementary School is a storied baseball powerhouse in Taiwan thanks to its outstanding Little League team.