Half a century of table tennis
Fu Zi Mei Zhang Xiaoying
On the afternoon of February 25, Macau University of Science and Technology Indoor Gymnasium.
The "2024 Macau University of Science and Technology Table Tennis New Year Exchange and Friendship Tournament" is in full swing. In addition to professors and senior scholars from Macau University of Science and Technology and the University of Hong Kong, there is also a special participant - Zheng Minzhi, a famous player of the Chinese national table tennis team.
Wearing a red turtleneck sweater, a pink jacket, and a pair of red shoes, she walked towards us with a smile on her face.
As soon as they met, he took my hand and said, "My father is from Zhongshan and my mother is from Ningbo, so I can speak Cantonese and Shanghainese." Her gentle and hearty words revealed the kindness and warmth of the sister next door.
Zheng Minzhi was born in 1945 and his ancestral home is Haotou Township, Zhongshan, Guangdong.
In 1963, she represented the country for the first time in the 27th World Table Tennis Championships, and collaborated with Zhang Xielin to defeat the then world mixed doubles champions - Japanese players Ichiro Ogimura and Kimiyo Matsuzaki.
In 1965, the Chinese women's team she formed with Emily Lin and Li Henan defeated the Japanese team 3:0 and won the Corbyn Cup for the first time; the women's doubles team she collaborated with Emily Lin also won the championship.
As a national table tennis player and world champion, she was fortunate enough to experience, participate in, and witness the entire process of China-U.S. "ping pong diplomacy."
"It's all in the past. There is no eternal champion. It only represents the past." Zheng Minzhi said modestly, "I am now engaged in folk sports exchanges. This time I came to Macau to travel through time and space to meet an old friend—— It's just an 'old' friend we met once." Zheng Minzhi told the whole story.
In the 1970s, when Zheng Minzhi visited the United States with the Chinese table tennis team for exchanges, he met a young "journalist" who bravely asked questions.
"His enthusiasm left a deep impression on me." I later learned that because this young man loved table tennis, he didn't want to miss the opportunity to communicate with the world table tennis champion, so he tried every means to get close to where the players were resting and ask questions.
Communication was not developed at that time, so after meeting once, we lost contact with each other again.
It was not until recently, by chance, that Zheng Minzhi accidentally learned that the young man who bravely asked the question was Li Xingwei, the current president of Macau University of Science and Technology, which prompted this trip to Macau.
Always remember, there will be reverberations.
"We already played against each other yesterday." Zheng Minzhi said with a smile, "Principal Li Xingwei has a good foundation and played well. I will tell him some methods and he can still improve!"
Life is so magical. We met 53 years ago and have never forgotten each other.
At that time, Zheng Minzhi was 26 years old and Li Xingwei was 19 years old. The exchange competition was held at Madison Square Garden in the United States.
"She was young, beautiful and dashing at that time. Her whole body seemed to be shining. She was very attractive and unforgettable."
On the day he arrived in Macau, Zheng Minzhi came to the court and competed with more than 10 "table tennis masters" from M.U.S.T. despite the fatigue of traveling and traveling. Not only did he play all the games in high spirits, but he also taught every opponent carefully. Everyone was grateful and touched. , have become the new die-hard fans of Teacher Zheng Minzhi.
During this visit to Macau, the organizers specially arranged sightseeing and other activities in addition to competition exchanges, but teacher Zheng Minzhi politely declined. She said: “I just want to use the limited time to communicate and learn more with the physical education teachers of M.U.S.T. , impart experience and techniques, and pass them on to more students, so that teachers and students who love table tennis can improve and gain happiness from it." (People's Daily Online)