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In 1841, Da-Xia Song slid out of his mother almost unnoticed in a Guangzhou opium den. Or so the story goes -- opium dens were hardly known for their meticulous keeping of records.

With two addicts for parents; Song was left to fend for himself on the streets of Guangzhou but Song seemed to thrive on adversity. When it comes to Song's time in China, it becomes hard to untangle the boy from the myth -- the story goes that Song emerged as one of the leaders in the Chinese underworld by the age of twelve. His position secured when he killed his main rival (a man twice his size) with his bare hands.

With his meteoric rise built on the top of strength and terror; it was inevitable that he will soon fall once someone bigger and more terrifying established themselves. The fateful day came in 1861, twenty men stormed the building where Song lived and took him out. Song barely made it out alive and left with nothing, he stowed away on the first ship he could find. It's destination: Port Chalmers, New Zealand.


Port Chalmers, gateway to the Central Otago gold rush.

The Central Otago gold rush was in full swing when Song arrived and the area was screaming for labour. It's unknown how Song managed his fortune -- the chances of him making an honest living seem unlikely. Some speculate that he cornered the markets in opium and gambling. What is known, is that Song emerged as one of the wealthiest men in the country by the end of the 1870's.

Song barely made a ripple in New Zealand for the next 50 years: he fashioned himself as a Businessman and was never seen without his trademark three-piece suit. From his home base of the West Coast, he established significant connections in the world of politics and business. It wasn't until the rise of Baseball in 1919 that Da-Xia Song found himself the focus of the nation's attention. Soon after the Cricket scandal hit, Song (now 78) attended a baseball game in the town of Greymouth (where he had made his home). The entire town (almost) had come out to watch the game and Song was struck by the passion that the fans bought to the game and the pride that the players played with. Profit was to be made.

He immediately got in contact with as many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as he could (his 14 children insured a large network). Their job was to get in contact with as many business leaders as they could. The goal was to establish a team in every market across the country and form a nationwide competition. It was an ambitious plan but Song didn't believe in half-measures. Soon, he had 24 teams (including one owned by himself in the West Coast) signed up. Everything was coming together nicely -- but there were a few bumps in the road to come before the season kicked off in 1920.