Sports athletes are people who contribute to the motherland regardless of personal gains and losses.

Unforgettable passionate years——108 Chinese table tennis players

In July 1960, the National Sports Commission selected 108 young players from three major training areas in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou Table tennis players went to Beijing for training to prepare for the 26th World Table Tennis Championships.

Time flies, half a century later, the "108 generals" reunited in Beijing. They visited the Bird's Nest together, revisited the Workers' Stadium, and visited the Shichahai Sports School, known as the "cradle of national table tennis players"... On the 15th, the veterans came to the State Sports General Administration to watch the training of active national table tennis players and interact with each other. Group photo in front of the previous world championship trophies. The silver-haired old world champion Zhang Xielin wrote a speech: "Old friends are particularly close when they get together. One hundred and eighty will gather in Beijing to talk about friendship and friendship will last forever."

The 19-year-old returned from Indonesia to serve his motherland. Li Guangzu is one of the initiators of this commemorative event. When participating in a big training camp, the team asked him to imitate the playing style of Hungarian players to help the main players practice, and he had no complaints. He recalled: "At that time, the country's material conditions were not very good, but the team members were thinking only about the motherland, doing whatever the motherland asked, and doing whatever the party wanted." Li Guangzu is an unsung hero among the "108 Generals" an epitome of. Now there is still a slogan hanging high above the honor wall in the National Table Tennis Team training hall: The honor of the motherland is above all else!

Zhuang Zedong, who won the men’s singles championship at the 26th World Table Tennis Championships, is nearly 70 years old. He recalled that in order to deal with the secret weapon invented by the Japanese table tennis team-the loop ball, teammates Hu Bingquan, Xue Weichu, Yu Changchun, Liao Wenting and others used their years of playing experience to imitate the Japanese looping style and help the main players adapt to looping. At that time, there were few athletes who played loop shots, and there were many players who needed to adapt to loop shots. They worked tirelessly and continued to practice sparring. Sparring teammates does not compete for fame or profit, it is very hard, and it is for the national honor. When Zhuang Zedong stepped onto the podium to receive the cup, he said from the bottom of his heart: I am accepting the award on behalf of our collective!

Qiu Zhonghui, who won the women’s singles championship at the 26th World Table Tennis Championships and was also the first women’s world champion in Chinese sports, is 74 years old this year. When recalling her victory, she said: “I was I just wanted to fight ball by ball and win glory for the country." In front of the world championship trophy, Qiu Zhonghui took a group photo with his teammates at the time. He was particularly excited to gather old friends.

A lifelong love affair with table tennis

After the 26th World Table Tennis Championships, many of the "108 Generals" have been engaged in table tennis-related work and have become closely associated with table tennis. An indissoluble bond. As Li Guangzu said: "I can't live without table tennis in my life."

Li Lianyi, who has achieved outstanding results on behalf of China many times, taught in the Guangdong team after retiring and trained world champions Jiang Jialiang, Lin Zhigang, Ma Lin, Liu Guozheng, who now teaches at the Hong Kong club, has also trained Li Jing and other main players. Qiu Zhonghui retired as a women's table tennis coach in 1964 and engaged in sports science research from 1973 to 1996. Later, he founded Qiu Zhonghui Sports Goods Company, specializing in table tennis equipment.

Li Guangzu’s career has always been closely linked to table tennis. After retiring, he served as the coach of the National Youth Team and trained a group of outstanding athletes. In 1972, he went to Hong Kong to play games and coach. Later, he began to work as a sales agent for table tennis equipment. When the national brand "Double Happiness" opened up overseas markets, Li Guangzu played an important role. He served as the general manager of China Sports Equipment Trading (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. and Tianjin 729 Sports Equipment Development Co., Ltd., and also developed a patented product that can independently adjust the center of gravity of the racket. He said: "The spirit of being a table tennis player has always been with me. You have to fight hard, don't care about so many gains and losses, and consider the interests of the other party and your friends. You have to think about the country, have a sense of collective honor, and personal Cooperation with the collective is reflected in my corporate management philosophy.

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The remarkable achievements of the Chinese table tennis team are the result of the hard work of generations. The “108 Generals” are the cornerstone of the long-lasting prosperity of Chinese table tennis. The spirit of table tennis - hard work and dedication , The honor of the motherland is above all else and always shines on their life journey.