China's snooker player Yang Qingtian looked anxious. He lingered around the aisle in the gym, sometimes signed for fans and other times constantly checked out the mobile phone from his pocket.

"I am waiting for a call from a British agent," he smiled. "I am so excited - I can't wait to talk to him."

Despite a first round loss to national treasure Ding Junhui, Yang was still more than happy as his tenacious performance impressed a British agent company, which has world No 8 Barry Hawkins on its roster, making his childhood dream of playing in the UK within reach.

"I am surprised as it came so fast," said the 24-year-old from Xi'an. "The China Open is a great platform. It makes everybody know you."

Yang is not the only beneficiary.

The tournament, now in its second year, functions like a bridge, bringing Chinese snooker, which is often played at city sidewalks on summer nights, back to its cultural origins and bolstering the sport's profile in the country.

Snooker's popularity in China is on an upward curve, driven by Ding's historic success at the 110 million-watched China Open final last year.

"China Open is a lesson for Chinese players and fans," said Zhang Xiaodong, vice-president of Chinese Billiards Association. "The first year, China Open made us know what snooker is all about, and this year it gave us a deeper understanding of the sport."

So far in 2006, fans started to find ways of enjoying the ancient gentlemen's sport like their British counterparts. For instance, more applause and less mobile phone rings are being encouraged in the gym.

However, problems are still seen in the process of learning.

A local spectator was ejected from the gym when he picked up the mobile phone during the match between Hendry and Hawkins on Tuesday. Michael Holt even quitted the game against Joe Perry on Friday due to the noise caused by broadcasting staff.

However, snooker big names said the environment has been improving in the past year despite the problems.

"China has made a strong impact on the sport, not only on its players but also on the growing atmosphere," said former world champion Jimmy White. "Everybody is learning to appreciate snooker, from fans, media, sponsors as well as officials."

Hendry echoed his point of view, saying the country is set to seize its place at the snooker world.

"I think China will become a major snooker base in the near future," he said. "They are getting more professional year by year, and I've seen great improvement.

"The tournament is great for the sport and great for Chinese fans."

The World Snooker Association, the global governing body of the sport, suggested they also learned from the tournament.

"The Chinese market has great potential, but it's a hard market and not easy to get involved," said Simmon Leach, representative of World Snooker's Beijing office. "We want to help China promote the sport, and we also learn to do it in the right way through the China Open."

He added that the England-based World Snooker Association has branched out to help promote the sport in China. It has set up its first overseas office in Beijing last year.

"We get to know more Chinese

players, the national training system, the market, and now we are taking steps to improving," he said.

Their first step, he explained, is to build up a stable home league.

"At first, we need a better national league with better facilities and better sponsorships. This is the only access to give Chinese players more experience," he said. "And then, we are able to send the best of them to the UK and give them some chances competing at higher tournaments."

Leach said the association is considering opening its official training program, the World Snooker Academy, in China in the near future. It is also planning to import another Main Tour tournament in Shanghai.

(China Daily March 28, 2006)