He says playing table tennis is an art that requires innovation.

"I founded my own playing style, namely 'the short court dual offensive'. I always believe that there is a better way to play more aggressively. There were very few players who used the style. But today, it's widely adopted by Ping-pong players all around the world."

Zhuang Zedong is obviously proud of the 'dual offensive' playing style which he founded himself. He says it is especially the case as it was a powerful weapon to win, at a time when the whole nation was waiting behind him for good news.

"At that time, new China had only been founded some ten years before. That was a hard era. In the international sports arena, China only had Ping-pong to rely on. People looked to me and my team for good news. If I won, the whole country won. If I lost, China lost. For me, the great pressure turned into powerful momentum for me to win. "

Zhuang Zedong didn't let his people down. As history recorded, he won world champions in 1961, 1963 and 1965.

According to Zhuang, the bravery and pioneering spirit also led him to contribute to the Ping-pong diplomacy in April 1971, when American player Glenn Cowan missed his own transport and was offered a lift on China's bus. By then, China and the United States had already suffered a 22 year long mutual hostility.

"10 minutes passed, but nobody dared pay any attention to him. But I thought he was only an athlete, he was not a politician. I should go and greet him. "

As the story went, Zhuang pulled a brocade scarf from his bag, as a gift to Cowan, and spoke to him through a translator. Pictures of the pleasant meeting were all over newspapers the next day and the news quickly got back to Chairman Mao in Beijing.

Later, China invited the American team to China, the first delegation from the United States to visit, ever since the founding of new China in 1949. In 1979, President Nixon visited China and relations between the two countries were normalized.

"As Kissinger put it, Ping Pong diplomacy was the first step of the march towards good relations between the two countries. It was nice because my encounter with Cowan was natural and sincere. It was accidental, but as well inevitable, because it's the general trend that China and United States would re-join hands. I was just lucky to have taken part in that historic moment."

For Zhuang Zedong, Ping-pang diplomacy is the pride of his life. But talking about the lost days during the Cultural Revolution, he never shuns away either.

"To protect myself, I made mistakes during the Cultural Revolution. I treated some people unfairly. I never deny that. I'm grateful that people gave me their understanding and compassion. That's why though I was later removed from my position of the sports minister and put into a four year detention, I never blamed life. I used my time reading and practicing calligraphy. Calligraphy is not only about handwriting, it's more about cultivating your mind."

Today, a treadmill, which is placed in a corner of the sitting room where we had the interview, is all over covered with Zhuang's calligraphy works. He says, when he is not occupied with social activities, he would get up around five in the morning, to practice calligraphy. He also tries to do some reading or take some exercise. He still sings Peking Opera, a hobby he has developed since his youth.

He tells me that he is now working on a memoir about his life and the past 60 years of his country, which is hopefully be published next year.

"I want history to remember me as an athlete, not a minister, not anything else. My career was always about playing table tennis: How can I play it better? How to adjust myself to win? And how should I explain these in my books to more Ping-pong players? Ping-pong has always been my life-long love. "

"I'm so proud to see cities thriving all across China and that the young generation is breaking new ground. I have every reason to believe China has a great future."