What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words ‘ping pong’ or ‘table tennis’? I bet ‘China’ is pretty high up on that list. China has developed such strong ties to table tennis that even non-fans know that China rules with an iron fist.

China owns table tennis so much so that there are three tiers of excellence in the game: good, great and China.

Over the years, the Chinese conveyor belt has churned out superstars frequently. From stars like Deng Yaping, Zhang Yining, Liu Guoliang and Zhang Jike, the torch has passed on to Ma Long and Chen Meng.

生词短语：

ties

联系; 关系

on-fans

非粉丝

rule

控制; 统治

iron fist

铁拳

conveyor belt

传送带，输送带

churn out

快速生产; 大量生产