Rack 'n' roll

Ce Ce (top) and pool coach Li Guoxian at 821 Pool&Club, a popular venue in Beijing. Wang Jing

Some of China's best pool players will wield their sticks in Beijing next weekend in the nationwide Delta Cup. The hot shots are among a new breed of pool and snooker players who are transforming the barroom activity into a mainstream sport. The Chinese are no strangers to the billiard table and have been playing this old European game ever since the first tables appeared on the mainland more than 150 years ago.