Today, 34 years ago, in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia, the Chinese women's volleyball team defended the World Championship champion and completed five consecutive championships.

  The five consecutive championships have conveyed the power of sports back to the land of China. People have constantly felt the "spirit of women's volleyball" in the upsurge of "learning women's volleyball".

Data map: On September 13, 1986, the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team greeted the audience at the award ceremony of the 10th World Women's Volleyball Championship.

Xinhua News Agency

  From 1981 to 1986, that was a period of passion in the history of Chinese women's volleyball team.

The women's volleyball girls won a total of 5 world championships in the World Cup, World Championships and Olympic Games, creating a good story in the history of world sports and ushering in the first peak period of Chinese women's volleyball team.

  The past glory has melted into the long years with the passing of time. When looking back on the past in the extraordinary 2020, in addition to the exciting game scenes, the people who supported that period of time may be more worthy of our memory.

  During the five consecutive championships, a number of outstanding athletes emerged in the Chinese women's volleyball team.

They are the creators and witnesses of the Chinese women's volleyball team reaching the top.

Now that time has passed nearly 40 years, are those heroes doing well now?

Data map: Lang Ping, who led the Chinese women's volleyball team to the Rio Olympics, took a photo with her teacher, Yuan Weimin, former director of the State Sports General Administration.

  At that time, the former head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team was Yuan Weimin.

Although he had already begun to take up a management position at that time, Yuan Weimin still witnessed the players achieve five consecutive championships in the final scene.

  After stepping down as the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team, Yuan Weimin served successively as deputy director of the National Sports Commission, vice chairman of the National Sports Federation, vice chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, and director of the State Sports General Administration.

In 2004, 65-year-old Yuan Weimin retired from the position of director of the State Sports General Administration and enjoyed his old age.

  Mention of Yuan Weimin's proud disciple cannot avoid the current women's volleyball coach "iron hammer"-Lang Ping.

She is a meritorious figure in the five consecutive championships of the Chinese women's volleyball team. From 1981 to 1985, Lang Ping helped the Chinese women's volleyball team win the world championship four times as a player.

In the 1986 World Championships, Lang Ping, who had already retired, joined the team as the assistant coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team, witnessing the team's 5 consecutive championships.

  After retiring, Lang Ping first entered Beijing Normal University to study English, and then went to the United States to study.

After returning from school, she restarted her playing career at the Italian Club of Modena, and returned to the World Championship finals with the Chinese women's volleyball team in 1990. That tournament also became the real end of Lang Ping's career.

Data map: Lang Ping is watching the progress of the game on the sidelines.

Photo by Tang Yanjun

  Lang Ping, who returned and retired, completed a gorgeous turn from player to coach.

In 1995, when the Chinese women's volleyball team was at a low point, Lang Ping took charge of the national team.

With her careful training, the Chinese women's volleyball team rebounded strongly in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and won a heavy silver medal.

  Lang Ping's first period of coaching experience for the national team lasted until 1999.

After that, she went to Italy to coach the Italian women's volleyball club.

After being invited by the American Volleyball Association, he became the head coach of the American women's volleyball team.

Because of this experience, Lang Ping has been misunderstood by many fans. It was not until the second time that she regained the coach when the Chinese women's volleyball team was in distress.

  Under the leadership of Lang Ping, the Chinese women's volleyball team once again stood on the highest podium of the Olympic Games in Rio after 12 years.

In the 2018 World Championships, the girls won a precious bronze medal. In 2019, they again defended the World Cup champions with 11 consecutive victories.

  Due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed. This is the case. The story of the "iron hammer" and the Chinese women's volleyball team is to be continued.

On the afternoon of April 1, 2013, the old women's volleyball champion Major General Chen Zhaodi died of illness at the age of 58. The Chinese Volleyball Association expressed condolences to Chen Zhaodi on its official website.

The picture shows the data map of Chen Zhaodi (right).

Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency

  Like Lang Ping, Chen Zhaodi has a well-known nickname in the team.

Everyone called her "Desperate Saburo".

Of the five champions, Chen Zhaodi only participated in the first two. Even so, she still occupies an irreplaceable position in Lang Ping's heart.

  In 2013, less than a month before Lang Ping took over the Chinese women's volleyball team during the trough period, Chen Zhaodi passed away due to illness.

Hearing the bad news, Lang Ping could not cry.

  "Remember the time we won the first world championship in 1981. Before the final, she suffered a back injury, but she gritted her teeth and insisted on finishing five rounds. We helped her to the podium. Her tenacious fighting spirit will always inspire. For me, I miss her very much. We will still be teammates in the next life."

  "The departure of Zhaodi gave me a sense of mission. As a member of the old women's volleyball team, when the Chinese women's volleyball team encounters difficulties, I need to stand up and do something."

  In fact, since Chen Zhaodi was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 1998 and underwent surgery, she has already begun the second half of her life fighting the disease.

In 2006, Chen Zhaodi was promoted to major general.

And her fighting life eventually affected many people, including Lang Ping, as well as generations of national women's volleyball players.

Data map: Zhang Rongfang, former captain of the Chinese women's volleyball team, attended the memorial service for Chen Zhaodi on April 5, 2013.

Photo by Cui Nan issued by China News Agency

  Chen Zhaodi's old captain Zhang Rongfang only won one more championship than her.

In the 1986 World Championships, the captain transformed himself into a handsome position and became the head coach of the defending division.

  As a member, Zhang Rongfang helped the Chinese women's volleyball team achieve the "three consecutive championships" in the early 1980s. After retiring, she briefly served as the Chinese women's volleyball coach, leading the team to win the 1986 World Championships, becoming the first Chinese women's volleyball team to win the championship at the same time. A person who has won the world championship as an athlete and coach.

  Since then, Zhang Rongfang has never left volleyball in her life.

She served as the Deputy Director of the Training Bureau of the National Sports Commission and later transferred to the Volleyball Management Center.

Until 2015, the 58-year-old Zhang Rongfang resigned from the post of Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Discharge Management Center due to physical reasons.

Liang Yan attended the Spring Festival Gala of Beijing Satellite TV.

  At the Spring Festival Gala of Beijing Satellite TV at the beginning of this year, representatives of the older generation of Chinese women's volleyball team gathered on the stage.

In addition to Zhang Rongfang, there are Cao Huiying, the first captain of the Chinese women's volleyball team, and Sun Jinfang, the second captain of the Chinese women's volleyball team, as well as Liang Yan, the deputy attacker known as the "smiling black baby".

  Liang Yan, who played the role of vice attacker, was the only player who participated in the women's volleyball team's five consecutive miracles as a player.

After the 1986 World Championships, Liang Yan retired and entered the Journalism Department of Renmin University of China. After graduation, she joined the "New Sports" magazine.

  By an accidental coincidence, Liang Yan quit her stable job and started doing business, and founded a sports culture media company.

After the company entered formality, she chose to return to her family to enjoy her life while also sharing family happiness with her family.

Data map; August 4, 1984, Long Beach Stadium, California, United States, women's volleyball group qualifier.

The Chinese women's volleyball players in the picture are Yang Xiaojun, Liang Yan and Yang Xilan.

  In the 1986 World Championships, the setter was Yang Xilan from Tianjin.

In addition to the 1981 World Cup, she followed the Chinese women's volleyball team to win four consecutive championships.

After the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Yang Xilan chose to retire and settled in Switzerland, where he worked as a coach in a local club.

  With the birth of her daughter and son, Yang Xilan gradually bid farewell to volleyball.

In 2017, it was reported by the media that Yang Ceylan was engaged in security work in Switzerland, and a picture of her working in the United Nations wearing a security uniform was also posted online.

  Like Yang Xilan, Zheng Meizhu, who is in charge of the setter, is also a witness to the four consecutive Chinese women's volleyball championships.

As the main player of the Chinese women's volleyball team at its peak, Zheng Meizhu did not engage in volleyball-related work after retiring, but went to Germany to seek development.

  In a foreign country, Zheng Meizhu met Sun Weizhong, who was once a doctor of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team. After a period of getting along and communicating, the relationship between the two gradually sublimated from friendship to love.

With the efforts of the two, they established a TCM training center in Germany to spread TCM culture on the European continent.

Data map: Deng Wei (third from left), Xu Yunli (second from left), and Hou Yuzhu (second from right), three Olympic champions appeared in Taining, leading the 2016 Taining Huan Dajinhu World Chinese Mountain Marathon.

Photo by Li Nanxuan

  In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Zheng Meizhu returned to his hometown of Fuzhou and participated in the torch relay.

At that time, Zheng Meizhu was the first torchbearer. She trot all the way to pass the auspicious clouds torch to her former teammate Hou Yuzhu who was also a champion of the Los Angeles Olympics, the 1985 World Cup and the 1986 World Championship.

  As the former women's volleyball "Shuangzhu", Hou Yuzhu has been engaged in sports-related work in his hometown after leaving the stadium.

Earlier this year, she was appointed deputy director of the Fujian Provincial Committee of Education, Science, Health and Sports.

  Audiences familiar with the old women's volleyball team will refer to Jiang Ying as Lang Ping's "successor". Like Lang Ping, she is the main player on the court.

In the 1986 World Championships, she witnessed the Chinese women's volleyball team win the world championship for the fourth time.

  After retiring, Jiang Ying did not enter politics or business, but like Lang Ping, went abroad to study and embarked on the road of coaching.

She has coached the women's volleyball team of the South Australian Institute of Sport and later served as the coach of the Australian women's volleyball team.

Today, Jiang Ying, who lives in Adelaide, is actively promoting the popularization of Chinese gas volleyball in Australia.

​Data map: On August 4, 2005, the former Chinese women's volleyball attacker Jiang Ying as the head coach of the Australian women's volleyball team defeated Jordan 3:0.

After Jiang Ying moved to Australia in 1990, he worked as a physical education teacher for 13 years, then resigned and went home to teach his son and husband until 2005 when he became the head coach of the Australian team.

Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency

  At the World Championships that year, the Chinese women's volleyball deputy attacker Yang Xiaojun was awarded the title of "Best Pass". Since joining the national team in 1983, she followed the team to win the 1984 Olympics, the 1985 World Cup and the 1986 World Championships.

  After the Seoul Olympics, Yang Xiaojun also retired.

After that, she went to Germany to learn German while playing.

Later, Yang Xiaojun entered the university to study economics and trade management. After graduation, he became the main person in charge of import and export trade of a certain company in Asia.

  In an interview with local media last year, Yang Xiaojun said that her life is far away from volleyball. In her spare time, she will play tennis, swim, and climb mountains with her daughter.

The broadcast of the women's volleyball final of the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

  In the World Championships that year, as the rotation players, there were Su Huijuan, Wu Dan and Li Yanjun.

Among them, after the end of the Seoul Olympics, Su Huijuan and Wu Dan grew up to be the main players of the Chinese women's volleyball team. The former was also entrusted with an important task as team captain.

  Su Huijuan served in the national team for 12 years and participated in 3 Olympics, 3 World Cups and 3 World Championships.

After retiring, she also returned to play in Switzerland, and then disappeared from public view.

  Speaking of Wu Dan, many fans will think of the event that Wu Dan was disqualified from the competition for taking banned drugs by mistake at the Barcelona Olympics.

That period of time is an unbearable memory for Wu Dan and the Chinese women's volleyball team.

  Since then, Wu Dan left the national team to play in Italy.

At the beginning of 2000, Wu Dan returned to the national team and helped the Chinese women's volleyball team get tickets for the Sydney Olympics. At the same time, he also completed the second Olympic journey in his career.

Li Yanjun attended the Spring Festival Gala of Beijing Satellite TV.

  Li Yanjun was an important rotation player for the Chinese women's volleyball team.

After retiring in 1987, Li Yanjun went to Austria to play, and then returned to China for development, and served in the Office of Cadre Education of the Work Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

  The Chinese women's volleyball team in any period is a united team, and the honors won are also the result of the joint efforts of the coach and all the athletes.

But whether it is the celebrities on the arena or the substitutes next to the arena, together they have created the glory of the Chinese women's volleyball team.

(Reporter Xing Rui)