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China's Ping-pong Diplomat Zhuang Zedong

Back in 1960s, with three world table tennis championships and three team championships under his belt, Zhuang Zedong's name was bigger than Liu Xiang and Yao Ming are today. His encounter with American athlete Glenn Cowan in 1971 marked the beginning of the end of decades of hostility between China and the United States, which was acclaimed by the late chairman Mao Zedong as 'ping-pong diplomacy.' Next year, Zhuang Zedong will turn 70. Having experienced the ups and downs of life along with his country, how will he describe the story of New China over the past 60 years? Yinan has the story with the China’s Ping-pong Diplomat.

For today's young people in China, the name 'Zhuang Zedong' may not ring a bell.

"I've heard that name, but I can't recall who he is right now."

"Not sure, was he the first Chinese person to win a world championship?"

But there was a time, when he was even bigger than athlete Liu Xiang or basketball player Yao Ming are today.

"He was a well-known national table tennis player in the 1960s or 70s. He was a national hero and a young icon. When he had matches, everyone would wait beside the radio and track the proceedings and result."

"He started the renowned 'Ping-pong Diplomacy'. He exchanged gifts with an American athlete when China didn't really have a good relationship with the US. I heard that there was a time that he was coaching kids playing table tennis. I also heard that he suffered from cancer. Is that true?"

On a July morning in Beijing, Zhuang Zedong and his wife Sasaki Astuko received me in their home. It is located in a high-end community in the prosperous eastern part of Beijing.

In the early 1960's, Zhuang Zedong won three world table tennis championships for his country and three team championships. The good news cheered up the whole nation and made Zhuang the hero of his people.

In 1970s, when China and the United States tried to approach each other again after decades of hostility, Zhuang unwittingly gave a brocade scarf to American athlete Glenn Cowan. It was this first act of 'Ping-pong Diplomacy' which paved the way for President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972.

He was once the sports minister of China.

In black sportswear, Zhuang looks smart and high-spirited. He talks passionately and moves quite agilely. For me, he looks too young to be a 70 year old, and too healthy to be a patient sentenced to 'a bit more than a year' by a doctor, about one year ago.

He tells me he wanted to do more things after he learnt about his illness.

"I didn't choose to rest. I would rather use the time travelling, sharing my stories with more people. I give speeches, to officials or primary school students. And I update my blog as often as possible to share my encounters and thoughts on life."

The day before our interview, Zhuang has just put a new article on his blog, about his feelings about a trip to Jinggangshan, in east China's Jiangxi province. The place is known as the 'birthplace of the Chinese Red Army' and the 'cradle of the Chinese revolution'. In 1927, after the ruling Kuomintang party turned against the Communist Party of China, Mao Zedong led his 1,000 remaining men to this place, where they mapped their later successful return.

Zhuang Zedong says he chose to visit the very place just to 'educate' himself.

"I hear China's Olympic heroes today always express their gratitude to their coach or parents, after they won championships. They were not wrong. But look at the bigger picture. If it was not for New China, we won't be able to host the Olympics. Athletes of my generation were always grateful to our country. I visited Jinggangshan, because that's where new China set out from. Can you imagine in a place as desolate as that, our predecessors dared to dream of founding a brand-new China and actually made it. I was there to see, think and learn."

Born in 1940, Zhuang Zedong knew many of China's first generation state leaders. It was easy to detect his admiration of late Chairman Mao Zedong or general Zhu De. He quotes their words from time to time and many of these words have become his life-long mottos.

"I'm absolutely lucky to have grown with my country. There were ups and downs for the country, and I myself experienced exactly the same. If it was not the times and the country, I couldn't be who I am and have achieved what I have. Now, the whole country is thriving, and I'm also seeking to contribute my talent more. One of the most rewarding parts of my life is coaching little kids to play Ping-pong."

Too short for basketball and too slight for soccer, Zhuang was built for table tennis. He started to play table tennis when he was very little. He became a part of the Beijing table tennis team at the age of 17. Not until 1960, had he established himself as the best player in China.