'National hero' - China's pursuit of an elusive world title

Players from eight countries have won snooker's most prestigious title of world champion - but China is still waiting for its first success.

Could 2025 be the year that changes?

This season's World Championship last 16 includes six Chinese players - Ding Junhui, Lei Peifan, Pang Junxu, Si Jiahui, Xiao Guodong and Zhao Xintong - with England having the next highest total with five.

"This has got to be the biggest year for China in terms of chances of having a world champion," said Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA).

"We've seen players like Lei Peifan winning ranking events and players bounce on to the scene and that could happen here. These boys have no fear and really want it.

"If a Chinese player became a world champion there's no doubt that player would become a national hero."

Trailblazer Ding has come the closest to snooker's ultimate glory, losing 18-14 to Mark Selby in the 2016 final.

Of the six Chinese players left in, four have won ranking tournaments, with two of those coming this season - Xiao at the Wuhan Open in October and Lei in the Scottish Open in December.

"There's been a big improvement in Chinese players," said Ding. "In the past two or three seasons, they've improved so quickly.

"They're showing people how good they are and they've won tournaments, which says they've got the talent, skills and form to play anybody.

"It tells people they're ready to play the biggest tournament and hopefully one of them can win it. I would love to see a Chinese player win a World Championship - it would be great for Chinese snooker and also for the young ones to look at and start playing from a young age."

Since the turn of the century, there has been a British winner at the Crucible in every year apart from when Australian Neil Robertson triumphed in 2010 and Belgium's Luca Brecel took the 2023 title.

But a long-term aim from snooker bosses has been to grow the game globally.

"Most people thought this sport was very English and would remain this way, but we could see a real burning will to grow in these countries," said Ferguson.

A pivotal moment in snooker's development came when it was added into the World Games in Akita, Japan in August 2001.

"That really changed the face of snooker," added Ferguson. "I remember walking into the arena with my friends from Asia and we were carrying a banner in a stadium in front of 60,000 people which said 'Billiards Sports'.

"My friend said to me: 'Jason, remember this day, this day is when snooker becomes a sport.'

"We had taken this game which was doing well and very popular in England and had turned it into a sport."

Snooker's popularity in China grew at a rapid rate, accelerating when a shy Ding, two days after his 18th birthday, defeated seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry to win the 2005 China Open, watched by a reported television audience of 110 million people in the country.

"Because of Ding, snooker now has a big market," said world number 12 Zhang Anda. "Ding being world champion would be good for every player because China is a very big market. I hope he can win the first one."

"It's not just about major events in China, we've built Chinese snooker from the bottom up," said Ferguson.

"China embraced this sport and gave it a lot of love and care. The one thing China has got right is access to snooker facilities in schools and mainstream education. That's something we need here.

"The players are coming together in academies - there are three in Sheffield - and you find players playing against each other day in, day out and the standard of snooker is absolutely amazing."

Chinese snooker, and the sport in general, received a huge setback in June 2023 when 10 players from China received bans for their involvement in match-fixing.

Former Masters champion Yan Bingtao was among those banned, while Liang Wenbo and Li Hang were handed lifetime bans.

Zhao, a former UK Championship winner, served an 18-month ban and has been the only player to return after he had not directly thrown a match but accepted charges of being a party to another player fixing two matches and betting on matches himself.

"It was a shame some players fell foul of the rules, it was a really sad time and difficult to deal with," said Ferguson.

"We kept close to our partners in China and the authorities in snooker. We worked together to educate players better and to ensure the players have opportunities. The sport has recovered and it has not stopped the talent coming through."

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Robertson knows what it is like to break through the British dominance of snooker and felt the unity the Chinese players were showing this year was a massive boost.

The Australian added: "Xiao Guodong said it's like 'Team China' and they are really happy for each other and I like that mindset. He said they're trying to take the burden off Ding and support him and they're in it together.

"The game is getting stronger and stronger in China and it makes first rounds in all tournaments harder as we're only going to get more Chinese players qualifying.

"They don't seem fazed by the Crucible and all seem to play well, even on debuts, so it's exciting for snooker. We're seeing a lot of international flags, which is great for the game."

So what happens to snooker if a Chinese player lifts the famous trophy on Monday, 5 May?

"It's something the authorities we've been working in China with have dreamed of, that one day they would have the world champion," said Ferguson.

"If a Chinese player wins it would be magical, a historical moment, a real shift in the sport, and I can't tell you the media frenzy it would cause for snooker around the world."