They have come from a nation of 1.3 billion people and just three curling rinks to a country of 34 million that seems to have a rink on just about every corner.

The Chinese curling teams, holding their pre-Games camps at Esquimalt’s Archie Browning Sports Centre, are not underestimating the enormity of the task ahead in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. If the Chinese need any reminding of that, they simply have to glance up at the large posters attached to the walls of the Browning Sports Centre featuring the Kevin Martin and Cheryl Bernard rinks — Canada’s powerhouse men’s and women’s Olympic representative rinks for Vancouver 2010. It is estimated there are 1.5 million curlers on the planet, of which 1.2 million live in Canada.

The Chinese started out in the sport by curling on hockey-rink ice, and have only had a national team program for six years. Yet they also know a simple truth: While hardly anybody in China curls — a meagre total of about 200 people — any nation only needs to develop four elite curlers in both men’s and women’s to have a shot. Hence China goes into its first-ever Winter Olympics curling competition boasting the defending women’s world champion in Bingyu Wang. Her friends just call her Betty.

“That [2009 worlds in Vernon] was not the Olympics and you can not compare,” warned Dongyan Li, team leader of the Chinese Olympic squads gathered in Victoria.

“The Olympics and world championships are different. These are the Olympics and this is our first time competing in them in curling. All nations have the option of [picking a team early] and practicing the whole year for the Winter Games. That’s a lot work.”

The Chinese are clearly willing to put in the effort and have sent their national men’s and women’s sides across Canada months at a time for training and bonspiels. In fact, Li was quick to mention the Chinese men’s curlers previously know Victoria from the Bear Mountain Classic.

“But still not many people in China even know the rules [of curling],” he noted.

“Growth will take time.”

China’s Canadian coach, Daniel Rafael of Montreal, has become known as the Dr. Bethune of curling and has clearly and acutely imparted a knowledge of the game to the targeted few. Even though Rafael wasn’t on hand for yesterday afternoon’s session at Archie Browning, the members of the Chinese men’s team, headed by Olympic skip Fengchun Wang, would often stop and discuss the assembled shots in the house as if intently studying a chess board.

“We will play the best we can in Vancouver,” said Li.

“We will try to win as many games as we can.”

The Chinese curlers won’t march in the opening ceremonies Feb. 12 at B.C. Place, according to Li, opting instead to conserve mind and body.

“We are on our own schedule, not the Olympic [organizers’] schedule,” he said.

There are more than 400 athletes from 16 nations holding their pre-Games camps on the Island, mostly in snow sports on Mount Washington. Li said the Chinese curling delegation came to the Island to be away from the pre-Games distractions in

Vancouver. So the Chinese have been hesitant and allowing only limited media access to their pre-Olympic curling camp at Archie Browning.

“We just want to quietly prepare so we chose the Island because it is not far from Vancouver yet more quiet,” he said.

“Can you imagine how many media requests we would have in Vancouver right now?”

There will be plenty of time for that later at the Winter Games if the Chinese curlers, especially the women, again prove quick learners by springing another surprise. From the pebbled ice of Vernon to Esquimalt to Vancouver, that would be quite the excellent Olympian B.C. adventure.