Although table tennis is the world's largest participation sport, with 40 million competitive players and millions more playing recreationally, in China it is more like an epidemic than a pastime.
As a drive along Beijing's streets on warmer days quickly attests, the sport is more entrenched here than anywhere. Housewives and pensioners routinely spend their days swatting balls back and forth on columns of tables at public parks, if not playing chess, practicing ballroom dancing or doing Taiqi exercises outdoors.
In addition to the phenomenal level of grassroots support, innovative play and a deep pool of reserve players are the two factors most-often cited by Chinese coaches when talking about the ingredients of their squad's success.
Accessibility to equipment, a slow-burning history of engaging in competitive team sports and national pride can also be added to the list.
For example, when China first broke into the sport, it signaled the end of 10 years' table tennis dominance by Japan. Since then, many Chinese have reached iconic status at home thanks to table tennis, which has gone from strength to strength in terms of its lucrative potential.
"We have so many professional players that it gives us a fantastic amount of choice when selecting the national team," said men's head coach Liu Guoliang, winner of the World Cup, World Championship and an Olympic title.
Innovation across the nation
Nowadays, young players work diligently to develop a unique style in an attempt to upstage the veterans for a shot at fortune and glory.
"Fierce internal competition forces our players to become more open-minded and innovative, and that's why we keep moving forward," Liu said.
Other countries have studied the Chinese for years to break down their formula for success.
"China is huge, but its people are united," said Lee Chui Seung, coach of the South Korean men's team. "Their team eats together, sleeps together, trains together. We should learn from this."
In contrast, the Japanese think local diet may have a role to play.
"The head coach told us we must eat more Chinese food during our training sessions," Fukuhara told China Daily.
Japanese women paddlers have been told to eat Chinese food at least once a day, especially dumplings and steam buns, in order to better adapt to the local food in Beijing and get closer to Chinese players physically and culturally, according to local media reports.
