On February 10, 2013, on the first day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar, in Beijing You'an Hospital, a 73-year-old man died of advanced liver cancer, and this old man was a legend in the history of Chinese table tennis - Zhuang Zedong.
Zhuang Zedong, who is sick
First, born rich
Zhuang Zedong was born in 1940 in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. At that time, China was still relatively poor and backward, and ordinary people were already quite good at being able to eat and wear warm. However, Zhuang Zedong is a very fortunate person, his father Zhuang Tishen and the late Qing Dynasty known as the "richest man in the Far East" British Hatong's adopted daughter Luo Fuzhen acquaintance, although Zhuang Tishen had a wife and children before, but in the era at that time, men had a number of wives is also a common thing, so Zhuang Tishen married Luo Fuzhen.
On the right side of the hat is Hartung
After that, Zhuang Tishen and Luo Fuzhen jointly ran Hatong's previous business in Beijing, and also brought Zhuang Tishen's former wife Lei Zhongru and her children to Beijing, of which Zhuang Zedong was the son of Zhuang Tishen and Lei Zhongru. And Luo Fuzhen treated Zhuang Zedong like his own child, so Zhuang Zedong lived very richly since he was a child.
On the far left is Zhuang Zedong
Second, show talent
In order to make the young Zhuang Zedong strong, Zhuang Tishen invited two martial arts instructors to personally teach Zhuang Zedong to practice martial arts. You know, in those days, families that could hire personal martial arts instructors were very rare. However, Zhuang Zedong was not interested in martial arts, and had many disputes with martial arts instructors, and was very resistant to practicing martial arts, and the two martial arts instructors were also quite helpless for Zhuang Zedong.
Because one of the martial arts instructors usually has a hobby of practicing table tennis, by chance, Zhuang Zedong was exposed to table tennis, which made the young Zhuang Zedong have a strong interest. So the coach suggested that Zhuang Tishen, it is better to let Zhuang Zedong go to a professional school to learn table tennis, not only to strengthen the body, but also to create a world in the field of table tennis. At this point, 11-year-old Zhuang Zedong began professional table tennis training.
Zhuang Zedong in his youth
Zhuang Zedong is very obsessed with practicing table tennis every day, and his skills have improved rapidly, and he has slowly lost his opponent in the same age group. At the age of 14, Zhuang Tishen sent Zhuang Zedong to the table tennis team of the Beijing Children's Palace Amateur Sports School, and Zhuang Zedong's skills improved by leaps and bounds, often beating players older than himself. Three years later, 17-year-old Zhuang Zedong joined the Beijing Table Tennis Team. In fact, Zhuang Zedong did not start to contact table tennis at the age of 11, but it was his extraordinary talent that allowed him to find his own world in the field of table tennis.
Zhuang Zedong in his youth
Third, brilliant achievements
In 1959, two years after joining the Beijing Table Tennis Team, Zhuang Zedong was selected for the Chinese Youth Table Tennis Team and gradually began to emerge on the world stage. In the same year, Zhuang Zedong saw that Rong Guotuan won the championship in the 25th World Table Tennis Championships and became the first world champion in New China, and he secretly decided in his heart that he must also become a world champion.
Rong Guotuan won the championship
Two years later, the 26th World Table Tennis Championships in 1961 was held in Beijing, and Zhuang Zedong saw his own opportunity. In the men's singles competition, The Chinese team's Zhuang Zedong, Li Furong, Xu Yinsheng and Zhang Xielin won the final four, Zhuang Zedong defeated Xu Yinsheng in the semi-final, and Li Furong in the final to win his first world championship.
Group photo of the Chinese table tennis team at the 26th World Table Tennis Championships
Zhuang Zedong won the championship
It was this victory that gave Zhuang Zedong great confidence, and he won the men's singles championship at the 1963 World Table Tennis Championships in Prague and the 1965 World Table Tennis Championships in Ljubljana. At present, he is the first athlete of the national table tennis men's team to win the men's singles championship of the World Table Tennis Championships, and Zhuang Zedong has become the most prestigious player in the international table tennis world. At the same time, in the domestic arena, Zhuang Zedong won the men's singles championship of the second National Games in 1965, and it can be said that Zhuang Zedong was invincible at that time.
Zhuang Zedong, who won the men's singles triple in the World Table Tennis Championships
It is worth mentioning that Zhuang Zedong's way of playing makes people look very "cool", and world champion Qiu Zhonghui once commented on Zhuang Zedong: "When you see the ball, you play, and play very fast, very fierce, all of them are active attacks, generally not defensive." ”
Fourth, get to know Cohen
In 1971, during the World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan, an American table tennis player, Glenn Cohen, accidentally boarded the Chinese table tennis team's special car. After Cohen got on the bus, after looking at the whole team of Chinese table tennis, they were stunned, and when they turned around to get off, the car had already started, Cohen found a seat nearby and sat down, at this time the atmosphere in the car became solemn.
Because Cohen's sportswear was printed with the words "USA" at that time, everyone in the Chinese table tennis team knew that the athlete was an American, and it should be known that the United States and China had not yet established diplomatic relations at that time, and the relationship between the two countries was also quite delicate. Among the Chinese table tennis teams at that time, the most famous was Zhuang Zedong. Cohen also looked at Zhuang Zedong for a few seconds when he first got on the car, and he definitely recognized the world champion, but he did not take the initiative to say hello.
The scene of the 26th World Table Tennis Championships
At this time, Zhuang Zedong also flashed a lot of ideas, in the general environment at that time, if you rush to greet the Americans, it is easy to be punished if you do not handle it well. However, Zhuang Zedong suddenly remembered what the two leaders had said, one of which was chairman Mao who had said: "The American people and the US government must be different." The other is what Premier Zhou said before the Chinese table tennis team sent to Japan: "Friendship comes first, competition second." ”
Zhuang Zedong decided to make friends with the American table tennis player, so he took out a small gift and got up and walked towards Cohen. At this time, the eyes of the rest of the Chinese table tennis team were all focused on Zhuang Zedong's body, and even a number of teammates signaled Zhuang Zedong not to go over, and Zhuang Zedong did not pay attention, thinking that he was a well-known figure in the Chinese table tennis team and should be responsible. At the same time, let the American athlete know that Chinese is a country of etiquette and is very friendly.
Zhuang Zedong and Cohen
Zhuang Zedong walked over to Cohen, took out the gift in his hand and gestured to accept it, and smiled the whole time. At this time, Cohen saw that it was the world champion Zhuang Zedong who personally came to give the gift, and he was also flattered, humbly bent down and also accepted the gift with a smile, and shook hands with Zhuang Zedong. At this time, Zhuang Zedong called the translator over and said to Cohen: "Chinese people are very friendly, in order to express our friendship with American athletes, I will give you a small gift as a souvenir." ”
Zhuang Zedong shook hands with Cohen
At this time, Cohen may never have imagined that zhuang Zedong, the world champion of the table tennis world, was so approachable, and said in a loud voice: "Thank you!" Thank you！ At the same time, he also had a great liking for the Chinese table tennis team. So after the day's game, the coaches and players of the American table tennis team took the initiative to make overtures to the Chinese table tennis team and returned gifts to express their gratitude. At this time, Zhuang Zedong realized that the development of the event was moving in the direction he expected.
5. Ping-Pong diplomacy
After the Chinese table tennis team ended the 31st Nagoya World Table Tennis Championships, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou learned about Zhuang Zedong and Cohen and praised Zhuang Zedong's approach. Chairman Mao quickly agreed to the visit of the American table tennis team to China. At that time, U.S. President Richard Nixon was also very pleased with the news of the visit of the U.S. table tennis team to China, and immediately approved the visit of the U.S. table tennis team to China.
Cohen visits China
On April 10, 1971, the American table tennis team officially began its visit to China. At the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium, the Chinese table tennis team and the American table tennis team played a friendly match, and Premier Zhou personally watched the game. On April 14, Premier Zhou personally received all the coaches and members of the U.S. table tennis team and said: "Your visit to China has opened the door to friendly exchanges between the two peoples. It was warmly applauded by all the staff of the American table tennis team at that time.
Beijing Workers' Gymnasium
The successful visit of the U.S. table tennis team to China caused a sensation around the world, and then-US President Richard Nixon also relaxed a series of dialogue policies. A year later, in February 1972, Nixon's successful visit to China ushered in the normalization of Sino-AMERICAN relations.
Nixon shook hands with Zhuang Zedong
The arrival of this moment was caused by a small gift that Zhuang Zedong hospitablely gave to the American table tennis player Cohen. It is no exaggeration to say that Zhuang Zedong is the biggest contributor to the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States and a hero of ping-pong diplomacy.
Zhou Enlai
Sixth, secret feelings
In 1967, Zhuang Zedong married his first wife, the pianist Bao Huiqiao, and had a son and a daughter after marriage. During the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan, Zhuang Met his die-hard Japanese fan Atsuko Sasaki.
Atsuko Sasaki is 4 years younger than Chuang And because she was born in Shenyang, China, she is fluent in Chinese. He has been living in China since the beginning of the 60s and regarded Zhuang Zedong, the world champion of table tennis in China at that time, as an idol. In 1967, at the age of 23, Atsuko Sasaki returned to japan to live. Four years later, in 1971, the World Table Tennis Championships were held in Nagoya, Japan, which made Atsuko Sasaki very excited because she had the opportunity to meet her idol Sho Nobuto in Japan.
Atsuko Sasaki and Sho Nobuto
So Atsuko Sasaki came to Nagoya during the opening of the World Table Tennis Championships, and in order to be able to see Zhuang Zedong up close, Atsuko Sasaki would sit behind the Chinese team. After the game, I came to the residence of the Chinese table tennis team and wanted to see Zhuang Zedong. After this request was known to the Chinese team leader, the leader arranged for Zhuang Zedong to meet with Atsuko Sasaki. The first time the two met was only 10 minutes, but for Atsuko Sasaki, it was very precious.
Sho Zedong and Atsuko Sasaki
The World Table Tennis Championships are over, before the Chinese table tennis team returns to China, Atsuko Sasaki expressed her admiration and admiration for Zhuang Zedong, and perhaps it was this farewell that also made Zhuang Zedong have different emotions in his heart.
7. Transnational marriages
After retiring from the army, Zhuang Zedong began his political career, and it was the change in his work that gradually caused a rift between Zhuang Zedong and Bao Huishuang. Zhuang Zedong neglected to take care of the family, and even when Bao Hui gave birth to his second child, Zhuang Zedong just took a look at it and left in a hurry due to work reasons. After a long time, Bao Huishuang was deeply tired, and the two also went through divorce procedures in 1985.
Bao Hui Buck
After the divorce, Zhuang Zedong, due to the change of work, worked as a table tennis coach at the Beijing Children's Palace, and it can be said that Zhuang Zedong's career and family at that time were not happy. Perhaps The Heavens are for Zhuang Zedong, who has contributed to the cause of table tennis in China and even the development of Sino-US relations, and at the low point of his life, an acquaintance appeared, and this person was Atsuko Sasaki.
After Atsuko Sasaki returned to China from Japan, she immediately learned about Zhuang Zedong's news. When he learned that Zhuang Zedong was divorced and working at the Beijing Children's Palace, he deeply felt that Zhuang Zedong needed someone to talk to and accompany him at this time. The moment Zhuang Zedong saw Atsuko Sasaki at the door of the Beijing Children's Palace, tears flowed down and he directly called out Atsuko Sasaki's name. Atsuko Sasaki saw the slightly vicissitudes of Zhuang Zedong and couldn't help but shed tears.
Zhuang Zedong and Dunzi
After that, Atsuko Sasaki often visited Zhuang Zedong, and once when Sho Zedong gave Atsuko Sasaki his book "Breaking and Creating", Atsuko Sasaki seemed to understand something, and the Zhuang Zedong in front of him still had the spirit of not accepting defeat, exactly the same as the gritty eyes that had been in the game. At the same time, we also saw Zhuang Zedong's dissatisfaction with the present and his infinite vision for the future life. So Atsuko Sasaki made a bold decision to marry Shoze-dong.
Marriage was very distant for the two at that time, first of all, the identity of Sho Zedong was not allowed to marry foreigners at that time; secondly, the identity of Atsuko Sasaki as a Japanese was somewhat prejudiced by the Japanese at that time. However, the two decided to break through the world's ideas and try their best to enter the palace of marriage.
Zhuang Zedong asked his superiors for instructions, and the leaders approved one after another, and finally Comrade Deng Xiaoping personally approved that the two could get married, but two conditions had to be met: the first Zhuang Zedong was not allowed to go abroad for life, and the second Sasaki Atsuko became a Chinese citizen. Without the slightest hesitation, the two finally got married in 1987.
Eighth, brilliant and magnificent
In 2008, the 68-year-old Zhuang Zedong was diagnosed with liver cancer, and in the nearly 5 years until his death in 2013, Dunzi never left Zhuang Zedong, and took good care of him day and night at the head of the bed. Dunzi's every move touched Zhuang Zedong and Bao Huishuang's son Zhuang Biao, and even after That Zhuang Biao directly called Dunzi his mother...
Atsuko
During Zhuang Zedong's illness, the country did not forget this person who had made great contributions to the motherland, from the initial table tennis and feather center to take out 4,000 yuan per month as the treatment cost of Zhuang Zedong, and then to the unlimited treatment cost of Zhuang Zedong since 2009.
After Zhuang Zedong's death, Dunzi carved a sentence behind Zhuang Zedong's tombstone: "Here is a person who has a small ball pushing a big ball." And Dunzi used four words to evaluate Zhuang Zedong's life as "brilliant and magnificent"!
Tun Zi visits Zhuang Zedong