Wu Chia-ching
Encyclopedia
Wu Jia-Qing is a professional pool
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
player. He is nicknamed the Taishan Shentong ("Little Genius from Taishan"). Previously known as Wu Chia-Ching , he changed his name upon moving to China.
Raised by his grandmother from the age of 2, Wu began playing eight-ball the age of 10 at his family-run pool hall
Pool hall
A billiard/billiards, pool or snooker hall is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards...
. When he became serious about pool, his grandmother would shuttle him from one competition venue to another on her scooter
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
.
In 2005, after only six years of playing, Wu became the youngest player (at 16 years, 5 months old) ever to win the WPA World Nine-ball Championship
WPA World Nine-ball Championship
The WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual, international, professional nine-ball pool tournament, founded in 1990, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association , and principally sponsored and organised by Matchroom Sport...
. The next year, he was the top seed of the event, but lost in the quarter-final round to eventual winner Ronato Alcano
Ronato Alcano
Ronato Alcano , is a Filipino professional pool player, nicknamed "Ronnie Calamba" and "the Volcano".-Career history:...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Wu also won the 2005 WPA World Eight-ball Championship. Previously, he was the runner-up at the 2004 Juniors Nine-ball World Championship.
He placed second to Darren Appleton
Darren Appleton
Darren Appleton is a British pool player, nicknamed "Dynamite". He won the first WPA World Ten-ball Championship in 2008 against Wu Chia-ching, the former world champion in both nine-ball and eight-ball from Taiwan...
in the inaugural WPA
World Pool-Billiard Association
The World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards . The group was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Japan, the United States, Sweden, and Germany...
World Ten-ball Championship in 2008, claiming the runner-up prize of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
40,000 In the semi-finals of the event, Wu had defeated Demosthenes Pulpul of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, 11–8, using a borrowed cue stick
Cue stick
A cue stick , is an item of sporting equipment essential to the games of pool, snooker and carom billiards. It is used to strike a ball, usually the...
.
In 2011 Wu applied for and obtained citizenship of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Ostensibly, Wu did this, to allow himself to compete in more international events. Wu stated the decision was made for sporting reasons and should not be regarded in a political light. As of April, 2011, Wu has not given up his Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
nationality. Republic of China Deputy Minister of the Interior Lin Tzu-ling stated that "[a]n ROC national who wants to give up his or her citizenship must go through certain procedures. So far, I do not think we have received any application from him [Wu] to do so". The Minister noted that “[a]s long as he is still an ROC national, he will be drafted into the military if he comes back to Taiwan.” The Republic of China's "Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area" stipulates that both the “Taiwan Area” and the “Mainland Area” are parts of the ROC, and the “Mainland Area” is legally defined as “ROC territory outside of the Taiwan Area.” In addition, the law does not recognize PRC citizenship and defines PRC citizens as “people of the Mainland Area” who “have household registration in the Mainland Area.” Article 9-1 of the same law prohibits “the people of the Taiwan Area” from obtaining household registration in “the Mainland Area,” those who break the law are banned from voting and serving in office, while their household registration in “the Taiwan Area” is annulled.
Career achievements
- 2002 Taiwan National Youth, Champion
- 2002 Taiwan National Pro Tour, third place
- 2004 WPA Juniors World Nine-Ball Championship, 2nd place
- 2005 WPA Men's World Nine-Ball Champion
- 2005 WPA World Eight-ball Champion
- 2005 WPA Asian Nine-ball Tour, Singapore Leg, runner-Up
- 2006 WPA Asian Nine-ball Tour, 4th place
- 2006 World Pool Masters TournamentWorld Pool Masters TournamentThe World Pool Masters Tournament is an annual international nine-ball tournament. Formerly, it was called the European Pool Masters until players from other parts of the globe were invited....
, semi-finalist - 2006 World Nine-ball Championship, quarter-finalist
- 2007 All Japan Championship, Champion
- 2008 World Ten-Ball Championship, 2nd place