XI'AN, China, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The first-ever farmers' table tennis association in China was officially founded in Qishan County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Friday.
At the Qishan County Farmers Table Tennis Association's founding ceremony on Friday morning, Lei Jun, vice president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), encouraged farmers across the country to stay physically and mentally healthy through playing table tennis or other sports events.
"Participating in physical exercise activities is one of the new styles in China rural areas, and the establishment of the association steps on a new horizon of the development of table tennis in China's countryside," Lei said.
Chen Changlin, the 61-year-old fruit planter and table tennis amateur, is one of the initiators and the association's legal representative. He began practicing table tennis around 40 years ago, and since then, he spared no effort to promote the sport in the field among farmers.
With the help of CTTA, Chen fulfilled his dream of playing table tennis against former world champion Qi Baoxiang in November 2020. The second friendly between them took place at the Friday ceremony, and Qi won the game again.
"What he impressed me the most is his perseverance. He has lots of farming work to do each day but never gives up practicing table tennis," Qi said.
CTTA, joining hands with some sports brands, also donated table tennis equipment to the association at the ceremony.
"Table tennis is my life-long hobby, and I determined to promote the sport to farmers after the founding of the association," Chen said, adding that he looked forward to helping farmers gain a healthy and happy life by playing table tennis.
According to Chen, the association has already absorbed over 1,100 members since its registration at the end of May. Enditem
