Forty-four year old Wei visits top tournaments, scouting talent around the country. He is now in Thane to watch the goings-on at the Western India Championships.

Wei professes his philosophy: ``I, like the rest of China, choose to develop players by perfecting their basics and reducing their errors in technique at a young age. I am not interested in quick results. That will not get players very far.''

In a way that explains Chinese invincibility and India's mediocrity on the world stage, according to Wei. ``Here in India, coaches are interested in quick results. So, not much attention is paid to players' errors. As a result your players can't keep up progress at a later stage, especially at international level.''

Even whilepraising India No 1 Chetan Baboor as a player of immense talent and ability, Wei notes a flaw that has crept into his game. Wei, at Ajmer since 1995, elaborates: ``I want to ask Chetan why his forehand topspin action has become short. Earlier, his pronounced arm-swing was closer to perfection. Perhaps it's a fall in fitness. And that is another big difference between Indian and Chinese players.''

Young Indian players have numerous shortcomings, besides fitness, Wei observes. ``Footwork, co-ordination and swings during the forehand topspin shot are faulty,'' Wei says.

Wei, whose career was cut short by a back injury two decades back, revealed another striking factor in Chinese domination -- special sponges used by professional players in that country. ``The sponge is thin which ensures that the rubbers play far slower. It toughens our young players and develops table tennis fitness,'' he reveals.

Fitness, however, is certainly not everything and Wei reiterates on perfecting techniques which is thekeynote of China's assembly line production of players six years and above in 20 professional academies all over that vast country.

Wei, who coached at the academy in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, explains: ``Chinese players have standard action. I remember an Indian player who was amazed when she visited China to see every player doing the forehand top spin in exactly the same way. That is Chinese table tennis philosophy: You cannot violate technical principles. You must obey to achieve perfection. Otherwise you cannot achieve success, no matter how physically or mentally strong you may be.''

Each academy in China imparts training to 60 players using 32 tables. Players graduate in a three-stage system, filtering talent all the way to the provinces' professional teams. The provincial sides supply players to the imposing Chinese teams that have often made nonsense of competition the world over.

With tremendous support from the Government and fueled by patriotic fervour, table tennis in China has become aworthwhile pursuit even in the wake of soccer captivating young minds.

Wei notes the improving stock of Indian table tennis at least among the men. He wears a perplexed look when quizzed about the country's women paddlers. ``Perhaps,'' he says, ``women's sport in India is a different concept. Somehow, I don't think your women players are very devoted. Chinese women are as fanatical about success for the country as the men. Hardwork and discipline then follows.''

And so does success -- the Chinese way.