Craig Fee I arrived from England to Shenzhen on the August 27, 2019 and one of the first things I wanted to organise after I had found food and accommodation was where I could play and watch snooker in China as it is a big part of my life in England. I had followed the growth and rising popularity of snooker in China while I was England, therefore I knew that if I tried hard enough, I would find somewhere to play often. Snooker seems to have gotten bigger and bigger here since the Chinese native Ding Junhui, from Yixing City, Jiangsu Province, established himself as one of the best players in the world. I have followed Ding’s career since he first became professional as he is only 2 years younger than me, so he has always been a player that I was interested in. I have seen him play twice in The World Snooker Championships at The Crucible Theater in Sheffield, England, not far from my home. I was lucky that less than one month after I arrived, Guangzhou was hosting the Evergrande 2019 China championship at Tianhe Sports Center on September 28, 2019. I found it difficult at first to find a way to get tickets for this but was finally helped out by my landlady who called the venue and then bought my tickets through a Chinese App. This was my first time travelling between cities on the train in China which meant that I found out the hard way that it takes far longer to enter a train station, pick up my tickets and board a train than I had planned. I missed my train to Guangzhou and there was not another one with available tickets until the following day, so I had to get a taxi, which was very expensive. The important thing was that I got to see the China Championship, even though I did not see Ding Junhui as he had been knocked out in round one by fellow Chinese player Zhao Xintong. When I got back to Shenzhen the following day, I really needed to find somewhere to play snooker, so I asked my good friend Yaz from Teacher Coffee if he knew anywhere. He found out that there was a snooker club called “Friendship Snooker Club” on Fanshen Road, about five minutes from my apartment, so I went there. I was treated very well by the owner and all of the staff there which made me feel very comfortable. I played for a few hours and now go there at least once a week to practice on my own. I really like the environment and how relaxed the club is. Once I had found a club, I went to Decathlon in Shahe to buy my own snooker cue. I have also met a really good Chinese friend called Jerry while I have been in Shenzhen, who is also a big snooker fan. He has helped me to meet other people to play sports with including allowing me to play for his football team. I took him to my snooker club the second time we had met and in return he showed me the club where he plays. It is called the A8 Billiards Center on Xin’an 2nd Road and again I was treated very well by the staff and definitely will be returning. I am very happy that I have been able to continue to follow and play my favorite sport in China. It has made me feel less homesick and has also helped me meet some amazing people. As well as in England, it is a now also a big part of my life here in China. | 