How-to China: Billiards in Tibet turns heads

Editor's Note: The eyes of the world are turning to China. In this ongoing series How-to China, we tell stories about how Chinese approaches promote understanding and solve problems around the globe and how Chinese and foreign cultures meet and mingle.

Known as a gentlemen's game, snooker is often associated with Britain. That's where it originated before spreading throughout Europe. Eventually, it migrated to the Eastern Hemisphere — to Lhasa, Tibet — where it's popular with young men today.

By comparison, soccer came to Tibet during the British invasion in 1904. Snooker, a billiards game, didn't arrive until the mid- to late-1980s.

Snooker world champions Mark Selby and Ronnie O'Sullivan have many fans in Lhasa.

In the city on the "roof of the world", a snooker competition recently concluded — just ahead of the Tibetan New Year.

Dechung, who is responsible for the Lhasa Jianying Surpass Billiards Club — the tournament's host — said there were 36 snooker players divided into elite and amateur groups. 

"I liked billiards since childhood. That's why I now run a billiards club and hosted the tournament," Dechung said.

Norbu Dradul, who is responsible of the Tibet Dreamer Sports Culture Development Co, the tournament's co-organizer, said: "It's important to organize this kind of tournament for people so they can improve and learn from each other," Norbu Dradul said.