In the shadow of the Iron Curtain, in the shadow of the gold medal

In the 24th Seoul Olympics, Xu Yanmei jumped hard and won the first gold medal for the Chinese sports delegation. Her parents in her hometown in Jiangxi, who had never experienced the taste of an Olympic champion, Feeling honored and proud. But what is unimaginable is that surrounding this shining gold medal, there was a turmoil within the Provincial Sports Committee.

First of all, it revolved around the issue of how to celebrate Xu Yanmei's success, and then around the issue of whether Xu Yanmei should be given a house. Within the Provincial Sports Commission, two incompatible factions were divided over this.

"Jiangxi has never had an Olympic champion. Xu Yanmei is not only an Olympic champion, but also the first gold medal winner of the Chinese delegation. It is of extraordinary significance. When she comes back, we must celebrate her." On how. At the meeting to celebrate Xu Yanmei, the leader in charge of the water project asked for credit for Xu Yanmei.

"The celebration party will be held, but the scale should not be large. For example, it is enough for parents to attend the party, but there is no need to invite older brothers and sisters. If the central government is spirited, the banquet should be prepared simply, with four dishes and one soup. , not in cans.” The leader in charge of other projects showed his principle expressionlessly.

So at the meeting, there were endless disputes over trivial matters, such as the number of people attending the celebration, the location, whether to set off firecrackers, whether Jianlibao should be served, etc. This situation has never happened in the Provincial Sports Commission in the past. For example, if Tong Fei, a famous gymnast, wins the championship regardless of domestic or foreign competitions, the Provincial Sports Committee will definitely celebrate. Even some athletes in other sports will hold a banquet and celebrate grandly as long as they win the championship in large-scale domestic competitions. So why did Xu Yanmei sprout so many branches when it was her turn?

The reason is simple: the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Commission has never been interested in water sports, so naturally it feels sour now. This time Xu Yanmei won the Olympic championship. If she highlighted it, wouldn't it be like criticizing herself invisibly? So holding a celebration party, which was originally a festive and uncomplicated matter, turned out to be tense.

Xu Yanmei was not an uninformed person who was kept in the dark. She was well aware of the situation. From the first day of diving training, she had the impression that the diving event was not popular. For example, other projects have much better funds, equipment, and treatment than they do; for example, no matter how late others train, there will always be a hot stove in the cafeteria when they return, but they don't even have food at all; even several times Disband the diving team. After Xu Yanmei won the diving gold medal, she stood on the podium, listened to the national anthem, and watched the five-star red flag rising. She neither thought of the motherland and the people as other athletes said; nor did she think of the motherland and the people as some athletes said. When describing her, she thought of her parents. The first thing she thought of was the coaches and leaders of water sports in Jiangxi Province who nurtured her talents.

One wave after another, this is whether to allocate Xu Yanmei a house.

Before the Olympics, Xu Yanmei sent a long letter to a leader of the Provincial Sports Commission in Beijing, asking for a house. The letter said, "My parents are both workers, and my father was disabled due to work. I have four siblings, and a family of six is ??crowded into two rooms and a house. Life is really difficult." The worries before the competition are clearly visible. But when the leader saw the letter, he became furious: "Isn't this a blatant threat to the leader?" Not only did he ignore it, but he also gloated and said, "If you don't want to participate in the Olympics, you don't have to go!" Xu Yanmei had to swallow her anger.

This incident was too irritating to Xu Yanmei. We dare not say that it was a house that inspired her to win the gold medal, but even if she thought so, it is human nature. In 1985, Xu Yanmei and her teammate Tong Hui both won the World Cup diving championship trophy. As a reward, the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Commission decided to give Tong Hui a house. At that time, because Xu Yanmei was still young, the Provincial Sports Committee promised: Next time you win the world championship, you will be given a house. But this time Xu Yanmei really won the Olympic championship, but some leaders of the Provincial Sports Commission did not admit it. Therefore, Xu Yanmei flatly refused to attend the celebration party.

Wouldn’t it be a joke if the host didn’t attend the celebration party held for Xu Yanmei? What if it doesn't open? I am afraid that the people of the whole province will not be able to pass, and the leaders will be even more disgraceful. For a house? The leader of the Provincial Sports Commission cannot step down. what to do? Xu Yanmei's celebration party was at a stalemate.

At this time, Nanchang City broke with past practice. Mayor Chen met with Xu Yanmei before the provincial government and praised her for bringing pride to the people of Nanchang City. Xu Yanmei also told Mayor Chen about her housing difficulties.

"It's not too much for an Olympic champion to buy a house." Mayor Chen agreed. The original complicated crux was easily solved.

Xu Yanmei got the housing certificate and participated in the celebration party held for her with satisfaction. Before the meeting, the leaders of the Provincial Sports Commission assigned a publicity officer to ghostwrite a "speech" for her. The intention was very clear that they were afraid that Xu Yanmei would speak "out of context" after taking the stage. When Xu Yanmei saw the speech, she just smiled. She had her own opinions. Sure enough, on the day of the meeting, Xu Yanmei threw away her speech and thanked the Jiangxi elders. Then she changed the topic and called out her first coach one by one. She respectfully invited her to sit on the podium and especially praised her for being able to overcome difficulties. There was a leader in charge of the water project who had helped her, and of course had traveled around to solve her housing difficulties. Her words of praise were all devoted to them, and she said nothing about the other leaders.

Xu Yanmei’s remarks angered others. Trouble arises again with the house.

Although the house was settled by Nanchang City, there is only one commercial house with five bedrooms and one living room. The city only granted Xu Yanmei the standard of three bedrooms and one living room, and she had to pay for the extra two rooms. Xu Yanmei gritted her teeth and decided to buy it. The Provincial Sports Commission promised to reward her 10,000 yuan, and together with other bonuses, she could collect 25,000 yuan for the room fee. But until Xu Yanmei returned to Beijing for winter training, the provincial sports committee couldn't pay out the bonus. The housing authority pressed for payment. If it is not done within the time limit, the house will be transferred to someone else. Xu Yanmei's father had to come to collect the bonus every day. What I always get is this sentence: "Bonuses are always given!" The implication is, what are you anxious about? Xu Yanmei's father was so anxious that he had to send telegrams to Beijing one after another. Xu Yanmei had no intention of training and repeatedly asked for leave from the coach and went home to beg for money. The champion who was smiling and waving flowers to the world yesterday on the podium was forced to "beg" today.

Xu Yanmei also sincerely talked about her motivations for why she must buy a house: "Actually, I didn't understand it before. I only learned it slowly from the surprised inquiries of other champions. For example, , ah, why did your province give you a salary increase of one level? Then I learned that Gao Min, Lou Yun, and Wei Qingguang all received a salary increase of two levels. Housing in Shanghai is so tight that they even gave Olympic runner-up Zhuang Yong a set of bonuses. In terms of gifts, reception standards and corresponding treatment, Jiangxi is the least developed. What's more, my family is really in trouble with housing. If I don't want a house this time, I'm afraid I will never get another chance."

Recently, when Xu Yanmei participated in a series of social activities and competition training, she often suffered from splitting headaches and flashes of light in her eyes. Her house has still not been settled, and the legacy of her gold medal continues to expand and deepen. If this continues, can Xu Yanmei be crowned the diving queen of the Barcelona Olympics again? Will she become another "short-lived" champion?

(Photography: Chen Yusheng)