"Asia's No. 1 Center: The Legendary Life of Mu Tiezhu"
Mu Tiezhu, a name that will not be unfamiliar in the Chinese basketball world. Although he has long passed away, he has left us with a life full of legends. Today, let's follow Mu Tiezhu's perspective to understand the legendary life of this "Asia's No. 1 center".
Young people left their homeland and were displaced
On June 1, 1949, Mu Tiezhu was born into a poor family in Dongming County, Heze City, Shandong Province. Mu Tiezhu's youth was not as happy as his parents expected, and he lived a poor life with his family since he was a child.
When he was 7 or 8 years old, the Yellow River in Shandong flooded and his home was flooded. In order to survive, Mu Tiezhu's family was forced to leave their hometown and wander to Shanxi Province. There, they live in caves that are about to collapse and face hunger and cold every day.
In 1965, Mu Tiezhu grew into a tall and robust young man, his height had reached more than 2 meters, and the amount of food was unimaginable. However, the material scarcity of that era, each family's monthly ration was only 45 pounds, and it was really not easy for Mu Tiezhu's family to feed them.
Just when Mu Tiezhu's family was overwhelmed, his sister in Xinjiang learned about their situation and invited them to live there. Mu Tiezhu's sister is a young man supporting the frontier and knows the situation in Xinjiang very well. At the invitation of his sister, Mu Tiezhu's family decided to go to Xinjiang and join the Production and Construction Corps.
After entering Tacheng, Xinjiang, Mu Tiezhu solved the problem of food and clothing with his own efforts and got rid of the difficult life in the past. However, a new problem also arises, the problem of dressing. Because of his outstanding height, it was difficult for Mu Tiezhu to buy suitable clothes and shoes. Even the size of the tools could not fit his height, such as the hoe and driver's seat, etc.
A twist of fate, basketball
When Mu Tiezhu lived leisurely after retirement, his heart disease began to plague him. In 1996, he was diagnosed with premature cardiac beats. The overdrawn body when he was young caused Mu Tiezhu to have a series of health problems when he was older.
In 1999, after his retirement, Mu Tiezhu was awarded the title of "50 Masters of New China Basketball" by the Chinese Basketball Association in recognition of his important contributions to the Chinese basketball industry.
Mu Tiezhu chose to participate in some comedy movies after retiring, and although the films he shot did not achieve great success, he found it very interesting to make movies.
Two of Mu's games in his life were key to determining his status with the Chinese men's basketball team, the 1975 and 1979 National Games. Under the leadership of Mu Tiezhu, the "Bayi" men's basketball team won consecutive championships and became an invincible existence.
In basketball, Mu Tiezhu set a record that remains unbroken, scoring 80 points in a single game.
Mu Tiezhu is also very famous internationally for his height and basketball talent, especially in the Japanese basketball world. His performance at international friendlies has amazed many people.
After retiring from the military, Mu Tiezhu was very active in charitable activities, donating his savings to help people in need. He hopes to make more people pay attention to and help retired and disabled athletes.
On September 14, 2008, Mu Tiezhu died of a heart attack at the age of 59. At his funeral, Yao Ming, Zheng Haixia, Zhu Jiazhi and others all came to express their remembrance and condolences for Mu Tiezhu.
Mu Tiezhu's death is regrettable, but the legendary story he left behind will always be remembered in people's hearts. His tenacity, courage and dedication will continue to inspire future generations.
Although he has left this world, Mu Tiezhu's spirit will always illuminate the future of basketball.
