In a sentence

He was not the most complete player of his era, but he was the first to bring a world title home to China.

Playing style

  • Stood close to the table and released the ball extremely early, beating opponents with changes of rhythm rather than raw power
  • Varied serves and returns, aggressive on the attack, never letting the first three shots drag
  • Decisive on key points — the harder the match, the more willing he was to commit

Career and key moments

At the 1959 World Championships in Dortmund he won China’s first world title. Before the men’s team final at the 1961 Beijing World Championships he said, “How many chances does life give you to fight?” — and then delivered on it, as one of the mainstays when China lifted the Swaythling Cup for the first time. After retiring he coached the women’s team to the Corbillon Cup. In 1968 he died unjustly during a period of political turmoil, aged just 31.

What he left the game

What he left behind was not a trophy but a conviction: China could win on the world stage. For more than sixty years since, that idea has stayed close to the founding spirit of Chinese table tennis.

In a sentence: A title can matter less for the individual than for the door it opens for everyone who follows.