Anthony Smales

In times gone by, China's dominant sports were ping-pong, kung-fu and tai chi, but times are rapidly changing and more recently, cue-sports, such as snooker and pool have made a big impact on the sporting scene.

Gaining widespread recognition in China usually hinges on the setting of a successful example; for kung-fu, it was Bruce Lee, for basketball, Yao Ming and for snooker it is Ding Junhui. Through his achievements, Ding has done much to forge a strong connection with the UK, where snooker has been a major national sport since the advent of colour TV in the late 1970s.

Ding's hometown is Yixing, famous for all things teapot-related, which can be visited from Nanjing / Wuxi. Ding turned professional in 2003, at the age of 16. He achieved his first major professional successes in 2005 when he won the China Open and the UK Championship. After his win at the 2006 Northern Ireland Trophy, Ding became the third player after Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins to win three ranking titles before their 20th birthdays. Known as a prolific break-builder, he has compiled more than 400 century breaks in his career including six maximum breaks in professional play.

Cue-sports naturally appeal to the characteristic enthusiasm and competitiveness of the Chinese and have now become firmly integrated into China's increasingly diverse sporting culture.

Ding's success has ensured that, nowadays, snooker is certainly popular in China.

Largely due to Ding's fame, the snooker scene has grown as a national sport and professional snooker tournaments in China now include the Wuxi Classic,  China Open (Beijing) and the Shanghai Masters.

Pool clubs are to be found all over China, even in smaller cities, with many bars in China frequently featuring a pool table as their centre-piece.

Xinghua pool club  

In Nanjing there is a local snooker (and pool) club bearing Ding's name, which attracts high-quality players in the city. A popular local example is the 'Blue Sky' Aussie bar, which is within walking distance of JESIE's location in Shanghai Road. 

http://www.echinacities.com/Nanjing/city-guide/Activities-Abound-A-Guide-to-Nanjings-Expat-Clubs  

Players of all ability levels turn up regularly at these venues.

In particular, the 'Blue Sky' bar holds a regular tournament each month, where players compete for the honour of joining the hall of fame alumini, as well as regular money-games of the variant known as 'killer pool', so called because of the 'sudden death' nature of the game!

Blue Sky Hall of Fame  

Due to its great appeal and popularity here, snooker and pool's continuance is assured in China, with talented new players making a name for themselves every year.

If you enjoy cue-sports, you are unlikely to go without in China!