With a population of 620,000, the mountainous county of Yushan in east China’s Jiangxi Province is now hosting the 2018 Snooker World Open, which has drawn together dozens of top players from around the world, including Chinese defending champion Ding Junhui and world No.1 Mark Selby.

Located some 500 kilometers southwest of Shanghai, Yushan is not known to many Chinese, but it is the third year in a row for the relatively small-scale county to hold such a world-class tournament.

Known as a prolific break builder, Britain’s professional snooker player Anthony Hamilton has been in the field for 33 years. As a first timer in Yushan, the county has already given him a good impression.

“This venue looks nice. It's my first time to be here today. The hotel's very accommodating. People are great. It's alright. It's a nice tournament,” said Hamilton.

Jason Ferguson, Chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, told CGTN what makes Yushan special.

“A lot of people say, you know, 'Why Yushan?' Well. There are a few reasons. One is the blue slates for billiards tables. Actually blue slates come from this area. So this is something that brings billiards sports to this area.”

Bluestone reserves reportedly amount to 20 billion cubic meters in the area, which are extracted and used to produce quality pool tables since the mid-1990s, with thousands exported to regions around the world every year.  

Now Yushan's billiards industry is taking shape with efforts from local authorities partnering with Beijing Xingpai Group, a private enterprise integrating sports, real estate and investment that has sponsored many billiards tournaments in the county.

“We’ve seen huge infrastructure projects which are now underway. We are talking about building museums here, new venues, academies. This is the ‘go-to’ place for billiards sports in the future,” Ferguson goes on to say. 

The ongoing international billiards complex includes production bases for pool tables, venues and a museum dedicated to the sport, as well as training centers to cultivate talents.

According to Gan Jialing, the General Manager of Beijing Xingpaiweiye Sports Goods Co Ltd., a subsidiary company to Xingpai, it is more than infrastructure the company has brought to Yushan and its people. 

“There are already plenty of major sports events in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but small cities and counties like Yushan are more in need of such opportunities for locals to engage in sports. At first, people did not even know the rules, but by watching the games time after time, they learn the etiquette and how to behave during the games. It is not necessarily for them to play snooker themselves, feeling the spirit of the sport is also an asset,” Gan told CGTN.

With an estimated investment of two billion yuan (about 300 million US dollars), and occupying 42 hectares of land, the first phase of the project is expected to be completed later next year and will be used to host the next Snooker World Open.

(Video filmed by Ma Tianwen, edited by Zhao Yuxiang)