With cricket in the rest of China almost non-existent, for that period they were the de facto Chinese national side.
The Shanghai team travelled to Hong Kong in 1866 to play against the Hong Kong cricket team, the first in a series of Interport matches that lasted until 1948.
[1] Following the last match against Hong Kong in 1948, political unrest meant that the cricket playing community dwindled, and cricket disappeared for around thirty years.
Recently China has become a member of the International Cricket Council and the government is investing in the sport.
Today, the reformed Shanghai Cricket Club hosts the Shanghai International Cricket Sixes, a Sixes tournament involving teams from around the world.