Even in bitter late-autumn weather under 10 degree centigrade, young players of Xinxing Longren Baseball Club carry on with practice at Dacheng School outside the West Fourth Ring Road of Beijing. The sport is not China's national pastime, so they must use a soccer field behind the school.

But the lack of baseball diamonds in China are just minor setbacks for some of these youngsters. Of more than 40 children aged 8 to 14 on the team, over 10 come from orphanages and poor families all over the country.

Fortunately, the hard work of the team since 2004 has been paid off. In August 2010, the team won the gold medal at the 28th Boys Nankyu Baseball World Championships in Japan, the first time a Chinese team has won the tournament in 11 years.

However, the club barely makes ends meet. Only 11 students pay the full fees of nearly 20,000 yuan ($3,210) per year including enrollment at Dacheng School, where the players are keeping up with a typical curriculum.