XI'AN－A farmers' table tennis association was officially founded in Qishan county, Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

At the Qishan County Farmers Table Tennis Association's founding ceremony on Friday, Lei Jun, vice-president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, or CTTA, encouraged farmers across the country to stay physically and mentally healthy through playing table tennis or other sports.

"Participating in physical exercise is a new trend in rural areas, and the establishment of the association steps toward a new horizon in the development of table tennis in the countryside," Lei says.

Chen Changlin, the 61-year-old fruit planter and table tennis enthusiast, is one of the initiators and the association's legal representative. He began practicing table tennis around 40 years ago, and since then, he has spared no effort in promoting the sport 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 encounter between them took place at the Friday ceremony, and, again, Qi came out the victor.

"What 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 says.

CTTA, joining hands with some sports brands, also donated table tennis equipment to the association at the ceremony.

"Table tennis is my lifelong hobby, and I am determined to promote the sport to farmers after the founding of the association," Chen says, 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 signed up more than 1,100 members since its registration at the end of May.

Xinhua