Eight-Ball Rising

Once dismissed as a pastime for dropouts and gangs， pool has clawed its wayback to become a

booming pursuit among amateurs and professionalsalike，driven

by social media，grassrootsclubs， and national campaigns

B y the time Yan Qin finally stepped into a pool hall last April， the marketing graduate expected to find little morethan asmokyroomfullofmenwithbleached blond hair chewing betel nut under neon lights. \"Every time I passed one， it looked grimy and noisy，\"recallsthe 23-year-old from Changsha， Hunan province.But one night，after being invited byherfriends，Yan played for eighthoursstraight， spending around 20 yuan per hour. \"Once you pocket a ball， you get this strange， simple joy，\" says

Yan.\"Not everyone was there just to pose.Some werereal fans，and theyplayed seriously.\"

Yan is part of a growing wave of young Chinese people rediscovering the joy of cue sports. For decades， playing pool was mostly the pursuit of menandstigmatized becauseofitsassociation with gambling， gangs，and dropouts. But attitudes are changing.China now boasts an estimated 210 million hobbyists-a figure growing at l80 percent ayear.Everyone fromschool kidsto retireesis packing intopool halls，fueled byChineseplayers' growing success on the world stage and pool’s casual，low-pressure stakes and social appeal.

This recent resurgence is breathing new life into the industry.Accordingto research firm iiMedia， China's pool industryis worth over 87 billion yuanand is expected to exceed 192 billion yuanby2030.More than110，000 newbilliardrelatedbusinesseswere establishedinthefirst10 months of 2024.Hanging out in 24-hour selfservicepool halls inmallsand otherpublic spaces hasbecomeanewcrazenationwideformillions of young urbanites craving a way to unwind.“It's likeplaying scratch cards，”Yan tells TWOC. “You might aim for one pocket，but sometimes the ball drops somewhere else.You have to stay sharp andadapt.There'salittlestrategy，alittleluckandthat'swhatmakesitfun.\"

Yetbehind its rising popularity，players and coaches are working to challenge deep-rooted stereotypesand earn the game recognitionasa respected，disciplined sport.

The stigma around pool didn't always exist. Pool，initiallyreferredtoasdadanzi（彈子），first \"Back when I was a kid， if you told someone you played pool， they would assume you were not a good person.\"

arrived in China in the late19th centuryand was accessible only within the foreign concessions. Then，in the198Os，Chinese pool，a hybrid of American pool and snooker，with simplified rulesand smaller pockets，gradually took over streetcornersandsmalltowns.Anarticlefrom People'sDailyin 1988 noted thatina stretch of less than 10 kilometers，there were over 2OO pool tables set up along the streets.But the grassroots sport became increasingly associated with gang fightsand gambling， fueled in partbyHong Kong gangster films that romanticized pool halls ashubs of underground deals and street

brawls.Bythel99Os，authoritieslistedbilliard rooms alongside gaming arcades， video screening rooms，and dance hallsas places unfit for minors.

Then，in the early 2ooOs，a new generation of young professionals， including snooker champion Ding Junhui and nine-ball star Pan Xiaoting， found global success and brought the sport back into the spotlight.More recently， 28-yearold Zhao Xintong's win at the World Snooker Championship in May once again reinvigorated people's interest in pool， inspiring supporters back home to give it a go and challenging lingering stereotypes.

oftenphysicallyand financiallybrutal.After adecadeofchasing tournaments，Liuquitin 2013，defeatedby the high costs.“It would cost about 3oo，ooO yuan a year just to train and competeabroad，\"Liu laments.Whena friend brought himback to the sport in 2023，Liu was surprised athowmuch the scene had changed— from upgraded equipment to a new culture of discipline and professionalism.“The old image was gone.\"

“Back when I was a kid，if you told someone you played pool， they would assume you were notagood person，”saysLiuHongda，aformer snooker professional from Guangdong province. Liu began playing in 20o3 at age 8.He says he faced constant disapproval from relatives and neighbors.“Some would ask why a little boy wasplaying pool instead of going to school，\" he tells TWOC.

“It's not like before，”echoes veteran coach LiGuohao. The 62-year-old moved his pool business from Hong Kong to neighboring Guangdong in the early199Os as rising rents priced out many operators.According to Li， pool halls back then were especially messy.“Players weretopless，smoking，and theywould litter wherevertheywanted，\"recallsLi.Determined to change itsunsavory image，he began to enforce house rules forhis customersand trainees：no noise，no smoking，anda focus on discipline. Today，Li'straineesareofallagesand include students，retirees，andwhite-collarworkers.“The atmosphere hasbecomemuchhealthier，unlike the chaotic scene it used to be.\"

For those determined to go pro， the path was

Chinese pool， played with eight-ball rules， has dominated amateur clubs since the early 2000s，thanks to its simpler，more flexible rules and easier gameplay on smaller tables and with largerballsthanthoseused in standard snooker. Bycontrast，snooker's steeperlearning curve and pricier equipment make it the choice for serious competitorsand lessaccessible fornewcomers and venue operators.InLi'shall， customers mostlyplaythe domestic variant.“It's easier for beginners to pick up，so more people are willing tc try，\" says Li.

For professional player Huang Qingning， the rise of Chinesepool wasa lifeline.Having trained in American pool as a teenager， she switched over when Chinese pool tournaments began offering million-yuan prize money and drawing bigger fan bases across the world.“From stroke technique to overall strategy， everything was different.It felt like starting over，” says the 24-year-old from the southern Guangxi region.

LikeLiu， the road forHuang wasn't without hardship.At15，long training hours caused her aseriousshoulder injury.“Mybodyhadn't fully developed，but I needed to practice eight hours a day，”she recalls.She ended up switching hands and learned to play right-handed.

And while pool's reputation has improved， traces of past prejudice remain.“Some parents still think pool halls are dirty places，”says Li. To counter this perception，professionals like Huang，Liu，andLihaveall taken to social media platformssuchasDouyin（China'sversion of TikTok）， sharing tutorials and pool basics with their tens of thousands of followers.

Social media has indeed become a game changer. OnDouyin alone， the hashtag“pool competition”hasracked up over 3billion views with viral clips of quirky trick shots，teenage prodigies，and dramatic comebacks.InMarch， teenageplayer Zihanwent viral afteran unexpected trick shot at an unofficial Chinese pool tournament livestreamed on Douyin—some of her videoshave garnered millions of views.

Official recognition of the sport has also \"We want people to see pool differently-not as shady entertainment，butasaskill a discipline.\"

gathered pace.Since2O14，theChineseBilliard Sports Association has promoted snooker and Chinese pool in schools and universities in major cities，with some in Beijing and Chengdu making it part of their physical education programs. In 2023，the General Administration of Sport included pool in its national fitness campaigns， encouraging communities to install tablesand organizeamateur leagues.

The shift in perception isn't limited to policy， but also manifests in public attitude.A survey by iiMedia this January showed that over 9O percent of the 1，558 pool consumers it surveyed said they would encourage their children to learn the sport， while over 64 percent would support their kids' decision to train professionally.

Many secondary schools and universities have incorporated snookerand Chinese poolin their physical education programs and organized amateur clubs and regular competitions （VCG]

Since last summer，Li has also led initiatives to introduce pool to students in Guangdong， offering classes in secondary schools and colleges to show themthat pool isa discipline，nota vice.“It'salso a way to train your mind and personality，”he says. In April，Li even worked ona hit micro-drama， MasterArrives，aboutafood deliverydriverwho toils to become a snooker champion.The show garnered over lOO million views in just three daysafter its release.“We want people to see pool differently-not as shady entertainment，but as a skill，adiscipline，\"Li tells TWOC.

Theculturalshiftisvisible inLi'ssummer classes，wheredozensof teenagershavenow signed up to learn pool over their vacation. “Because many children don't initially know much about pool—and some of them might actually be very gifted—they miss out on the opportunity to playbecause some parents stillhold relatively conservative views，”Li tells TWOC.“But now thatthegeneral environmenthasgrownhealthier， parentscanseearealcareerpathfor theirchildren in the future.\"

Li's team also plans to organize amateur competitions in the future with financial support from major companies，which he hopes will attractmoreplayers.‘Justlikefootballand basketball，”saysLi， “we can have different divisions， allowing people at the bottom to train and hone their skills and work their way up through these competitions.\"

Liu also believes that kids don't necessarily havetowaituntilaftercollegetofindacareer path.“Is it possible to start developinga career in a non-traditional field from a young age instead？\" headds.Inspired by recent changes in the industry，Liu， turning 3O this year，plans to train in theUKand secure a spot in the elite 128-player WorldSnooker Tourbeforehe turns35.“That's my ultimate goal.\"

But for casual players like Yan，the appeal remains simple.She plays in her free time and tries toapplytheskills shelearnsfromonline tutorials. Last month， she even took her mother to a pool hall for the first time.“Once you get the hang of it，”she laughs，“you never want to stop.”