The domestic epidemic affects everyone's heart, as the only Hubei player in the professional game, Mei Xiwen is also expressing solidarity with his hometown in his own way. After the Welsh Open, Mei Xiwen customized a badge printed with "Hubei Refueling, Macheng Refueling" in Sheffield and wore it in a single-time limited time match, which was fully supported by WST.
Mei Xiwen was born in 1982 in Macheng, Hubei Province, and is currently the only Hubei player in the Chinese Legion. Unlike many snooker players who left home early for playing, Mei Xiwen lived in Macheng until the age of 17, and then moved to Wuhan for the next two years. Hubei and Macheng have extremely deep feelings for Mei Xiwen. Macheng, which is close to Wuhan and Huanggang City, is one of the areas where the spread of the epidemic is more serious. In recent years, Mei Xiwen's permanent residence in China has been Shenzhen, but he has to return to Macheng, Hubei Province, at least once or twice a year, and Mei Xiwen's father still lives in Macheng.
Since the Welsh Open, many Chinese players have played with badges emblazoned with the words "Hubei Refueling". One of the moving details is that due to the small number of badges produced in the first batch, Chinese players will take turns wearing them, and several small badges will circulate on the chests of more than a dozen Chinese players.
After the Welsh Open, Mehivan returned to Sheffield and customized a batch of badges. In addition to Hubei, Mei Xiwen also specifically mentioned his hometown of Macheng. The full text on the badge is: Hubei refueling, Macheng refueling, paying tribute to medical staff, and uniting as one to defend against the epidemic. In addition, in the "Detailed List of Donations to the Fight Against the Epidemic in the Chinese Billiards Industry" released by the Chinese Billiards Association, Mei Xiwen's name is also prominently listed.
The World Snooker Tour (WST) has stricter regulations on the wearing of commercial logos by players, and players' badges often need to be declared in advance. But when players, including Mei Xiwen, offered to wear badges related to the epidemic, WST gave full support.
At present, Mehivan has beaten Serte and Bond in the single-time limited time to advance to the round of 32. At this season's English Open, Mehivan beat O'Sullivan 4-3 in the quarter-finals, winning a beautiful victory and setting a new career best.