Winning streak is losing fans

It was a sport that helped open China up to the world. In the 1960s and 70s, families would huddle around radios and televisions for matches, while millions played it on any flat surface they could find.

Table tennis has meant so much to so many people for so long. But the nation's love affair with ping-pong could be on the wane, with young people now turning more to star-studded Western sports.

Wang Zhongping is a 47-year-old ping-pong fanatic. The best parts of his day are the two hours when he is playing a match against his friends and the meal they share afterwards, when they usually reminisce about their childhood.