Where She Fits

The word “first” in front of her name marks the starting point of the entire Chinese women’s table tennis lineage.

Playing Style

  • Penhold fast attack from close range, with quick recovery and excellent continuity
  • Tight links between push-blocks and forehand attacks from the backhand corner, unaffected by spin
  • Few errors in rallies, wearing down opponents’ attacking rhythm through sheer steadiness

Career and Key Moments

At the 26th World Championships in Beijing in 1961 she won the women’s singles final, becoming the first female world champion of the People’s Republic. Chinese table tennis was still climbing as a whole in those years, and her trophy gave “Chinese women’s table tennis” its first world-class credential. After retiring she spent decades working in sports science research and the promotion of the game.

What She Left Behind

For the sixty-plus years that followed, Chinese women’s table tennis remained the most solid high ground in world table tennis — and she was its first cornerstone.

Remember this: every long tradition begins with somebody’s first.