Ding "Star of the East" Junhui

Ding started playing snooker at the age of nine, when his father took him to the Chinese national team training centre near Shanghai. His father persuaded his mother to sell their house in order for Ding to continue playing snooker as a career.[1] He practices for eight hours every day.

In February 2004, Ding was awarded a wildcard entry to the Masters in London, where, in the first round, he defeated the then world no. 16-ranked player, Joe Perry, before narrowly losing 6-5 in the second round to experienced top player Stephen Lee after holding a 2-5 lead over him. His performance favourably impressed many commentators, who since then rated him a likely future World Champion.