Yushan on cue for Chinese billiards breakthrough

Investment and passion lie at the heart of progress

People of Yushan, Jiangxi province, have a passion for sports. Every morning, hundreds of people exercise by the riverside, run across the bridge over the river and climb up to the mountains, come sunshine or rain.

But they never imagined that this county, with 620,000 people and located in a mountainous area, would be able to hold the world's first China billiards event, the first international event it has held and one that will possibly shape the future development of the county.

The 2015 CBSA De Er Le Cup China Billiard World Championship is the first Chinese billiards event to gain international prestige. It was held in Yushan from Jan 24 to Feb 2, and attracted more than 304 players from 23 countries, of which there were 108 foreign snooker and American pool players.

PVK Mohan, president of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation, said at the opening ceremony in Yushan that he was glad to be at the first Chinese billiards world championship.

The county recently signed an agreement with Beijing Xingpai Group, a private enterprise group that integrates sports, real estate and investment, to build a center for Chinese billiards. The project, which involves an investment of 3 billion yuan ($479 million; 451 million euros) and 42 hectares of land, includes a billiard industry zone, an international billiard museum, production bases for billiards and equipment and training centers.

"We also plan to set up a sporting goods market that targets the whole country, where you could buy shoes, balls and anything here," says Zheng Xiaochun, Party secretary of Yushan county.

Zheng says that Yushan has been providing materials for billiards tables for Beijing Xingpai Group since 1996. The county makes more than 30,000 pool tables annually and more than 150,000 tabletops, generating revenues of more than 400 million yuan. China now has more than 30,000 billiard clubs, with more than 80 million Chinese billiard fans. The Chinese billiard market accounts for more than 70 percent of the entire billiard market.

Zheng says his impression of snooker is one of an English gentlemen playing casually in the club, wearing elegant clothes. He says American pool is what cowboys play in bars. Chinese billiards did not have competition regulations until 2014. So when Chinese billiards had the chance to become a world championship sport, Yushan fought hard for this chance to be the host.

"I said to them, China's billiards are widely played in the countryside. In big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, you have so many sports events every day that people won't pay much attention. In the countryside, your event will get all the attention and all the support from the local government. It would be very inspiring for people here," he says.

However, for a small county, hosting an international event like this is not easy.

"We don't have the same facilities as big cities, "Zheng says. "February is the coldest time in the south of China, and transportation is not very convenient, as the closest airport is two hours away."

Moreover, Yushan lacks experience in hosting an event like this. Security, reception capacity, different cultures and languages could all be problems.

Zheng says that Yushan is fortunate to have the name of "talent village", so when they look for English-speaking talent, they get more than 600 applicants. Everyone is passionate about preparing for the translation work for the players. Moreover, all hotels in the county have also made changes to cater for the event, making sure audiences and players have better accommodations.

"Players from all over the world speak different languages, have different cultural and specific needs, including food and entertainment. We have to prepare all the details for that, which was very complicated and challenging for us," he says.

Mark Williams, a Welsh snooker player, told the local media that Chinese billiards could probably be more influential than snooker in the future. He said whenever he went into a billiards club, he would see many Chinese billiards tables, but only one or two snooker tables. He has seen many snooker players participate in the event and believes that will also help boost the Chinese audience's interest in the sport.

Zheng says that his aim is to combine the development of the Chinese billiards center with local people's passion for the sport, and he wants Chinese billiards to be a more common part of the public's sports activity.

"We want to make Yushan a famous place for Chinese billiards, whenever people think of Yushan, they will think of Chinese billiards, and the other way around," he says. "We want Chinese billiards to become common for the public, then this activity will become more and more popular. "

Zheng says that they don't seek instant success, but for the gradual growth of the market and its brand. He says that for the next four consecutive years, the event will be held in Yushan, and that the size of the event will grow and attract more world famous players.

But the county is also looking for more development of its sports industry. Yushan, which is also famous for its rural scenery, would combine its sports industry development with tourism, such as holding a major swimming event in Sanqing Lake this year. The county has also built a 22-kilometer track for cycling.

"Along this track, there will be on one side the big river, and on the other side mountains, so you could cycle while also enjoying the view," he says.

Contact the writers through chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 03/13/2015 page26)