Hong Kong will always have a special place in its hearts for China. After all it was thanks to the tireless work of the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union that the game took root on the mainland. It has now been 22 years since a development programme was first started in China and the game has continued to flourish, especially the abbreviated version, with the mainland putting more resources towards it since it became an Olympic sport. Today most of the 22 provinces in China boast fledgling rugby teams, which is good news for the national side that made their Hong Kong Sevens debut in 1998. China were popular Bowl winners in 2006. They broke Hong Kong hearts last year with a 35-26 victory in the Shield quarterfinals but then lost to Kenya in the semi-finals.