By Elliott West
“China want to make Yushan a home for snooker”.
Jason Ferguson
Introduction
Situated in the Jiangxi province of China, a five-hour drive south-west of Shanghai lies the grandiose Yushan Sports Center. A purpose-built venue designed specifically for snooker and billiards events. A building that has a Disney vibe to it with a construction area of 35,500 metres and is 25.7 metres high, the equivalent of an eight-floor building. It has 3,000 fixed seats with a capacity to have another 1,000. The Sports Centre is part of an ambitious project to form the Yushan International Culture City project which is estimated to cost £200 million. It has a high-quality maple floor, imported from Canada to avoid vibrations so the snooker tables remain stable at all times and has advanced sound-proofing materials to minimise distractions for the players.
State of the Art
The centre has LED screens installed at all the entrances so that fans can keep up to date with the scores between frames and there are 45 bespoke function rooms for snooker and other indoor sports. There are also other rooms for staff, commentators and drug testers. The building houses a heated swimming pool, gymnasium, children’s playground and fitness training area. The centre also recently opened a billiards museum and Hall of Fame. A perfect site and was chosen specifically because the Yushan has quarries from where the slate in snooker tables is mined.
A Snooker Palace
After a Covid hiatus, the World Open was staged here this year with £170,000 in prize money on offer to the winner and a total prize fund of £815,000. In the tournament, Zak Surety achieved a 147 break and in the final between Ding Junghui and Judd Trump, Judd claimed a 10-4 victory. This win, his 28th career ranking title, equals Steve Davis and was his fifth ranking win of the season. It remains to be seen what happens with this venue but some say it could be touted as a possible successor to The Crucible if the World Championship were ever to leave Sheffield. A remote possibility at this present time.
