Table tennis is a sport I never understood.  I've played it a few time and had fun, but an Olympic sport?  When I think Olympics, I think of track & field, swimming and gymnastics.  Not ping pong.

And yet, since becoming part of the Olympics at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, table tennis has proved to be one of the most popular Olympic sports.

In China, ping pong is more than just a sport, it's a way of life.  AP photojournalist Oded Balilty beautifully captured the Chinese people's love for table tennis in Beijing, where the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympic games will be played.

I first saw these pictures when picture editor Rolando Otero showed them to me last week.  I was captivated at the simple, but dynamic layering of information in Balilty's pictures showing me how table tennis is woven into the social fabric of the residents of Beijing.

 

Beijing's skyline reflected on a house window with table tennis inside.

The national sport of 1.3 billion people, it's beloved by everyone from kindergarteners to grandmothers. The game's important cultural role is evident just by looking around China's cities, with ping pong tables claiming a prime spot in parks, apartment compounds and even along busy streets. Though much of China is still poor, nearly everyone has the means to play ping pong. All that's needed is a table, two paddles and a ball.

Men play table tennis at a park in Beijing.

A man wipes his sweat after playing table tennis outside an apartment compound in Beijing.

A couple plays table tennis outside an apartment compound in Beijing.

A man holds his table tennis paddle as he waits for his turn to play at a park in Beijing.

Two boys hide their faces with a table tennis puddles as they wait for their turn to play next to their house.

A man folds a table tennis net after playing at a park.

Question: Is it Table Tennis or Ping Pong?

To see an audio slideshow including more of AP photojournalist Oded Balilty's photographs on table tennis in China, click here