Chinese rowers think they have a golden future ahead if China can fish out its first Olympic gold medal next summer in the fringe sport, which is now fighting for legitimacy in the increasingly sports-driven country.

"If we make a breakthrough in Beijing, rowing will become a top-priority sport," said Asian Games gold medalist Zhang Dechang, coxswain for the men's eight. "If we fail, rowing will continue along the way it is. It may even go downhill."

Only a gold would result in the prestige, funding and popularity that rowing so badly needs to migrate Chinese children away from dreams of joining the NBA or the national diving team. Anything less, officials say, it could go belly-up before it has had a chance to take off.

"Things are much harder now," said Guan Rongting, whose job as director of Shaoxing Water Sports Training School involves scouting for potential rowing talents from regional schools.

"Fewer parents with tall children believe their kids will have a better future in sports. Even for those who do, they go for big sports like basketball but definitely not rowing."

China's Long March for an Olympic gold has seen it go through almost two decades of trial and error. Although it has captured two silvers and two bronzes in that period since the women's coxed four earned its maiden medal at the 1988 Seoul Games, it has never led the field.

Xu Rui and Zhang Yangyang (front) cruise through the semifinals of the World Rowing Junior Championships 2007 at the Shunyi Rowing/Canoeing Park in Beijing on August 10. [China Daily]

Hence Guan's personal crusade.

The 49-year-old spends much of his time at his training school in Zhejiang Province, a beautiful pocket in Eastern China dotted with lakes that is known as the cradle of Chinese rowing. The national team is currently training in the area, at one of their three domestic bases.

Every day after school, 43 youngsters aged 11-15 pack up their text books, put on their life jackets and pick up their sculls under the guidance of five coaches bent on a single goal: taking Chinese rowing to the next level.

Several national and world champions started their careers at Guan's school but there are only 2,000 full-time rowers in the country -- a statistic that makes the director's job of lobbying local farmers and school deans to release their children to him that much harder.

However, there are signs of promise. A number of potential stars from the east have stamped their presence at international regattas, including the world championships in Munich this August, where eight boats consolidated their spots for the Beijing Games.

One of the top prospects for China is 24-year-old Xu Dongxiang, the Shaoxing-born world champion sculler who now trains 175 km from her hometown at the national training center near Hangzhou.