China started a new national baseball league, and Shanghai is hosting games this August and September. Known as Chinese Professional Baseball (CPB), it played its first season back in January in Shenzhen. For the summer season, the league expanded to sites in both Shenzhen and Shanghai, and features teams from Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen, Changsha, Fuzhou, and Shenzhen.

League play began last weekend, and SmartShanghai went down to check out the new ballpark and the game day experience. For the season, the CPB constructed the Xuhui West Bund Baseball Park, a temporary outdoor stadium standing beside the Huangpu River. The stadium allows for great views of the sun setting on boats floating down the river in one direction, and the Xupu Bridge in the other, although I would say the West Bund in the name is more of an aspirational moniker, as it is eight kilometers from theBinjiang Riverside Park most people think of as the West Bund.

The playing level is pretty high, and the teams feature players from across Greater China, East Asia, the Americas, and elsewhere, including some who have played in professional leagues in Taiwan, Korea, and the U.S. They can smack home runs, make diving catches, and throw 90 mph pitches. Unfortunately, professional enough to also have VAR, everyone's favorite.

The stadium experience is modeled after baseball in Korea and Taiwan. This means cheerleaders in tiny skirts, coordinated chants, and loud music straight out of Y2K-era Tekken fighting games. While this may not suit the typical gray-haired American baseball fan, it is definitely a vibe, and being bored is out of the question. Will the chants of "base hit, base hit, home run, home run!" be stuck in your head the next morning? Quite possibly. The league also has the Peanuts cartoon characters for mascots, and between innings Snoopy and Charlie Brown come out to dance for kiddos in the audience.

Concessions include typical baseball food like hot dogs, lemonade, sausages, and chicken fingers, as well as a food truck from a local Taiwanese restaurant. Patrons can also bring in their own food and beverages, although alcohol is not allowed. Also, photo booths and a lot of merch for sale.

So is our local team, the Shanghai Orcas, any good? Well, based on the first game of the season, maybe not. They were rocked by the Xiamen Dolphins, who were leading 9-0 before Shanghai scored a late scattering of runs. Pretty cool-looking hats and jerseys, though.

How to get tickets: Games are being played every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 18:30, and every Saturday and Sunday at 16:30. The season runs through September 19^th, which will be followed by the playoffs from September 21^st-28^th. Tickets for the Wednesday-Friday games are 168 RMB (or 138 with an early bird discount) while tickets for the weekend games are 258 RMB (206 with the early bird discount). There is also a 30% off student discount, plus some group packages. If you want to sit directly in front of the cheerleaders, select "cheering section" when buying tickets (助威热区). Otherwise, it is open seating. Tickets can be bought through the CPB WeChat account (search "CPB联赛") or just show up. The games are not selling out yet.

How to get there: Kind of a challenge, to be honest. The stadium is located at 166 Longteng Avenue (徐汇区龙腾大道166号), which is near not much. Thankfully, the CPB is running free shuttle buses from Longyao Road Metro Station on Line 11 (shuttle bus stop on Huangshi Road 200 meters from Exit 2) and Jinghong Road Metro Station on Line 15 (shuttle bus stop across from Exit 2). The shuttle buses run continuously from one hour before game time until the stadium closes. Look for the big orange sign.

Xuhui West Bund Baseball Park

166 Longteng Da Dao, near Huazhan Dong Lu,