8000 of the birds were released into the winter sky in northern Hebei Province last month, one of the many long distance races holding out a promise of fame and fortune.

Pigeons have been raised in China since at least the 16 hundreds, but lately the ranks of hobbyists have swelled.

The Chinese Pigeon Association counts around 400,000 members, dwarfing the number in Belgium, where the sport first got its start.

Zhao Zhang breeds and trains pigeons in a coop on his parents roof, he looks for strong wings, Ah, healthy constitution and bright eyes.

Theo eyes are the window to their souls.

The brightness of their eyes shows how healthy and clever the birds are.

China's breeders have a reputation for their passion for pigeons, but Zhao says, there's a financial angle is, well, way successfully raised, a good racing pigeon.

It's going to be very expensive.

It will be worth a lot of money.

Bids flew at a recent auction in Beijing.

One pigeon, a racing champion, sold for more than $750,000 for breeders like Mr Ying, who bought six birds at the event.

Money is not an obstacle.

I'm in love with pigeons.

That's it.

In a nutshell.

Pigeons come first.

In my heart, my wife and Children are 2nd and 3rd.

The recent surge and enthusiasm for pigeons has pushed prices higher.

One breeder made headlines last month when he splashed out $1.9 million for this pigeon named New Kim at an auction in Belgium.

Besides the cost of the birds, there's also the upkeep.

One pigeon fans here in Shanghai, Mr You spends more than $30,000 a year on his flock of 500 all worth it, he says.

One of his pigeons, Little Ancestor, took first place in the recent race in Hubei Province.

Things pigeon broke the record in the national competition.

It is unprecedented for a young pigeon to fly back in just one day, a feat, he said.