China's cue sports on the rise
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Ding Junhui's victory at the UK Championship has not only added another title to his belt but also highlighted China's success on the the world stage this year, said Wang Tao, the director of cue sports in the State General Administration of Sport.
"I'm very glad to see him win a tournament again. It's not an easy job to get back to the top after a poor run which spanned two years," Wang told China Daily yesterday. "It shows that he has turned into a real man from a talented boy.
"But what make me happier is that we now don't only have Xiaohui (Ding Junhui) but also Liang Wenbo and a lot of other young players. Not only in snooker but other cue sports."
Liang, 22, who reached the quarterfinals at the UK Championship, was only the second Chinese player, and fourth Asian man, to reach a ranking final at September's Shanghai Masters. Meanwhile, there are eight Chinese men honing their skills at British academies in attempt to emulate Ding and Liang's success, according to Wang.
On the women's side, 16-year-old Liu Shasha became the youngest player in history to win the World Women's 9-ball Championships in Shangyang, Liaoning province, last month. Her compatriot, Pan Xiaoting, who won the title in 2007, finished third while another Chinese player, Fu Xiaofang, was fourth.
The "star effect" is already boosting the game at the grassroots level. The number of billiard clubs in Beijing rose from 700 to 1,600 while the figure in Shanghai increased from 600 to 1,300 over the past four years, Wang said.
"This year has just seen a great leap of China's pool on the world stage." Wang said. "I believe it will be more popular and produce more stars."
