Where He Fits

On the table he was the fiercest player of his era; afterward he became the man who carried Chinese table tennis into its administrative era.

Playing Style

  • His off-the-bounce forehand topspin from the backhand corner was devastating — fast and sudden
  • A complete serve-and-attack system with a high first-three-strokes scoring rate
  • Quick footwork that opened up plenty of room for the forehand

Career and Key Moments

He was a mainstay of the Chinese men’s team title runs at the 26th, 27th and 28th World Championships, and repeatedly went deep in men’s singles, forming a two-engine core with Zhuang Zedong through that era. After retiring he coached the Chinese men’s team, then moved into administration, serving as deputy director of the National Sports Commission and President of the Asian Table Tennis Union. He was one of the earliest models of the “from the table to the boardroom” path.

What He Left Behind

He carried the players’ voice into the rooms where rules were written. Chinese table tennis’s later presence in international organizations owes much to this generation’s transition.

Remember this: many people can play well; very few can widen the road for those who come after.