Korea have been vastly improved by exposure on the IRB Sevens World Series
The Shanghai Sevens is the first of six events stretching right across the region, from the Philippines, Brunei and Borneo across to Iran and finishing in Sri Lanka.
Each leg will feature national teams from all over Asia and will provide a clear pathway into the current pinnacle of the sport, the IRB Sevens World Series.
The sport of Sevens is awaiting the IOC's vote on 9 October, set to decide whether or not the sport will form part of the 2016 Olympic Games, but many of the countries in action in Shanghai have already benefitted from rugby's inclusion in some of the world's other large multi-sport events.
Huge crowds watched the Sevens at the recent World Games in Chinese Taipei and teams such as Sri Lanka and India will hope to shine in the Asian Games next year.
As host, India will also compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Watch the principle action from Shanghai, including a shock tournanment win for Korea as they claimed the first leg of what should prove an exciting Series over the next two months.
VIDEO: Shanghai Sevens - Asian Sevens Series
Related story: Jinan Rocks & Rugby in China
Earlier this year, Total Rugby reported from China, where rugby is enjoying steady growth but still faces many challenges.
One club tackling them head on is Jinan Rocks in the Shadong Province, where they are looking to plug the gaping hole that exists beyond university rugby.
The club was formed by three men after a chance meeting: Englishman Richard Horley had only just moved to Jinan when he met locals Yuhang Liu and Dong Zhang, both of whom had found rugby while studying in England.
The result is an English style Chinese rugby club, which is taking steps all the time to introduce rugby into schools and colleges around Jinan, and revolutionising the local perceptions of the sport.
VIDEO: Jinan Rocks - China success story
