Mr Long, who currently holds the post of secretary-general of Boao Forum for Asia, a platform created to promote cooperation and dialogue among countries in the region, said he first became acquainted with golf six years ago when he attended an Asian ministerial conference in Malaysia. At the time he didn’t know how to play.

“All the ministers went to golf after the meeting except me,” he said. “I decided to learn after that and have always tried to find time for the sport. Before I came to Zhouzhuang this time, I had already heard about the Silport Golf Club, so I came here to play on the venue which has hosted China’s national Open for so many years.”

When asked about China’s policy for the golf industry, he said: “Golf is developing rapidly in China now. Courses are being built in many places in the country. But at the same time, we should take into consideration the average living standard of China, which is rather low compared with that of developed countries. So it is not realistic to develop the sport on a large scale at present.

“It is understandable that the local administrative governments have not yet listed it as a key project for development. The policy has been neither supported nor prohibited.”

As for the talk that Chinese government officials were not allowed to take part in golf, he said it was completely untrue.

“Not unlike any other form of sport, golf is good for people’s health, both physically and psychologically. Of course, it has its own unique characteristics. For instance, it is also regarded as a business platform. Personally, I think, we should encourage some government officials, especially those whose work is to attract foreign investment, to learn to play golf and avail themselves to this platform and the entrepreneurs gathered around it.”

Mr. Long, who had not played golf for three months, finished his round within three hours. Although his game was a bit rusty, he displayed the calm demeanor of veteran politician. On a course known for its water hazard, he only put one ball in the wet stuff and remarked: “As we are playing golf in the water town of southern China, it would have been a pity if the ball did not fall into the water.”

With support from officials such as Mr Long, China’s golf industry is sure to embark on a healthy course of development in future.