China News Service, Beijing, December 25th. According to multiple media reports, in the early morning of December 25th, the former head coach of the Chinese badminton team, Wang Wenjiao, who made outstanding contributions to the development of the badminton industry in New China, died of illness in Beijing at the age of 89. age.

The reporter confirmed the news from insiders.

  As the founder of China's badminton industry, Wang Wenjiao has engraved a series of glorious numbers for the motherland in his life - an era of "uncrowned king" that once caused a sensation in the world badminton world, 9 team world championship trophies, and 21 years of national badminton coaching career , 56 badminton world champions.

  "Serve the country faithfully and live without regret" are Wang Wenjiao's favorite eight characters. This is not only a portrayal of his life of hard work and unchanging original intentions with badminton as a bridge, but also makes people's thoughts go back to more than 60 years ago in an instant. , that period of time when New China was waiting to be rejuvenated, and all walks of life were waiting to start bravely.

Wang Wenjiao won the championship in the badminton men's singles competition in the first National Games (file photo).

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Mei

  In 1953, China held the National Four Ball Games.

Before the competition, with the promotion and assistance of the Chinese embassy and consulate in Indonesia, a 50-member Indonesian overseas Chinese youth sports observation group was organized, preparing to return to China to participate in the competition.

Wang Wenjiao, who is already the Indonesian badminton champion, is among them.

  Due to various difficulties encountered in going through the formalities for returning to China, when the Indonesian overseas Chinese youth sports observation group arrived in Tianjin, the competition had all ended.

In the ensuing friendly match, Wang Wenjiao defeated the then national champion 15:0, 15:6 effortlessly.

  This scene deeply touched Wang Wenjiao and changed the trajectory of his life.

"I felt very uncomfortable at the time. The country is so big and sports are so important, so we didn't want to go back at that time." Therefore, Wang Wenjiao, who was only 20 years old, made up his mind: since we have the technology, we should return to the motherland to develop badminton .

  But it is not easy to return to the embrace of the motherland.

Going home means abandoning the honor and status that he already had; since China was not a member of the International Badminton Federation at that time, he had no chance to participate in international competitions after returning to China; Wang Wenjiao’s decision was even opposed by his family. Put down the harsh words: go back, and never come back.

  Facing local obstacles, incomprehension from relatives, and confusing prospects, Wang Wenjiao resolutely wrote a letter of guarantee "never returning to Indonesia" and embarked on a cruise ship back home.

A sincere wanderer's heart, thus closely linked with the motherland.

The first National Games badminton men's doubles champion Wang Wenjiao and Chen Fushou of the Fujian team, and the runner-up Shanghai team Shi Ning'an and Huang Shiming (left to right) (file photo).

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Mei

  Since then, the well-known badminton star in Indonesia has disappeared, but in Tianjin, China, thousands of miles away, there has been an extra Wang Wenjiao who has worked hard to promote China's badminton business from scratch.

  When he just returned to China, due to the difficult period, Wang Wenjiao once had swollen legs due to malnutrition, and eating a nutritious meal was almost a luxury.

In 1955, the training ground of the badminton class was moved from Tianjin to Beijing, and the development of domestic badminton entered the fast lane.

  The advanced style of play and concepts brought back by Wang Wenjiao and his teammates were like a spark that quickly spread across the land of China, forming a prairie fire.

In order to promote badminton, badminton classes enter schools and factories to play exhibition games. The "Badminton" textbook co-written by Wang Wenjiao and Chen Fushou has also become a training guide for badminton training teams all over the country.

  In 1965, under the leadership of Wang Wenjiao, the Chinese badminton team visited Europe and successively played against the then European powerhouses Denmark and Sweden.

Wang Wenjiao recalled: "Before the start of the match, the local media played the headline 'Can the Chinese play badminton?', and we were all very angry at that time."

  "As a result, we beat the world champion Kopps 15:0, so the headline in the newspaper on the second day was 'Our world champion ate duck eggs'." It is worth mentioning that the newspaper also commented: "China The way badminton players play is dazzling, they jump and smash, and their speed is amazing."

The then Chinese badminton team coach Wang Wenjiao (right) greets the audience at the awards ceremony after the Chinese team won the 12th Thomas Cup (file photo).

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Xiangyang

  In the end, the Chinese badminton team won 34:0, which shocked the international badminton world for a while.

At that time, Guoyu was still unable to participate in the International Badminton League, but the performance of defeating the world champion many times allowed Wang Wenjiao and the team to start the era of "uncrowned kings" and laid a solid foundation for entering the world in the future.

  After returning to China, he and his teammates started from scratch and overcame the poor conditions and material shortages. The more difficult times they were in and the obstacles they faced, the more determined they were.

Thanks to their hard work, the Chinese badminton industry has finally ushered in the harvest time.

  During Wang Wenjiao's tenure as the head coach of the Chinese badminton team, he led the team to win 9 world team championships and 56 world individual championships. What impressed him the most was leading the team to participate in the Thomas Cup held in England in 1982. It is the first time that the Chinese badminton team has won the championship of a major world badminton event.

  "In the final at that time, we were behind Indonesia 1:3 on the first day, and beat them 4:1 on the second day, with a total score of 5:4. When the Queen of England gave us an award, she felt that the Chinese people are amazing."

At the "2019 Global Overseas Chinese Annual Selection" award ceremony, Li Yongbo presented a trophy to Wang Wenjiao.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhai Lu

  After the game, the team leader of the British team commented that the game was "the highest level and most exciting game in the 40 years since the Thomas Cup was held".

Chinese badminton has waited for 33 years for this moment, and Wang Wenjiao's 28 years of silent dedication and hard work since his return to China are also inseparable.

Since then, the Chinese badminton team has officially entered the center of the world badminton world and has become a strong team that cannot be ignored.

  From a brave athlete to an unsmiling head coach; from a young man in his prime to a gray-haired old man, Wang Wenjiao said: "I dedicate my life to the motherland." That's what he said, and it's also true made.

  On September 17, 2019, Wang Wenjiao was awarded the national honorary title of "Model of the People".

Behind his incomprehensible relationship with Chinese badminton that lasted for half a century is also his sincere and pure patriotism.

The man has gone, but his demeanor will last forever. He also left a legend of hard work and pursuit of excellence.

(use up)