Preface
Bai Fan has now entered the stage of life in his sixties.
Back in 1995, the year Lang Ping decided to return to China as a coach, their marriage also came to an end.
At that turning point, Bai Fan felt that his life had lost its former color.
He chose to live alone and devoted all his time and emotions to the growth of his daughter Bai Lang.
For him, Bai Lang is not only the crystallization of his love with Lang Ping, but also an indispensable and important part of his life.
"Iron Hammer" Lang Ping
Lang Ping is undoubtedly a sports superstar in the first generation of the Chinese women's volleyball team, and she also enjoys a high reputation and popularity internationally.
Lang Ping when he was a player
Her achievements are the pinnacle in the history of the Chinese women's volleyball team and are difficult to surpass.
As the representative of the Chinese women's volleyball team, Lang Ping shined in the international volleyball world and helped the Chinese women's volleyball team win the first "five consecutive championships".
Under her leadership, the Chinese women's volleyball team has rejuvenated itself and become one of the most outstanding coaches in the volleyball world in China and even in the world.
Lang Ping's volleyball career was so brilliant that she was honorably inducted into the Hall of Fame.
As a top player, she has a place in the world volleyball world.
In particular, Lang Ping was the first Asian to be inducted, and until now, she is the only Asian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player, and the others are coaches.
In 1986, when Lang Ping ended her career as a volleyball player, she began to think about her future and personal life.
Then in 1987, 27-year-old Lang Ping met Bai Fan, which was the first time she fell in love. She was attracted by Bai Fan's tall figure of 1.9 meters and mature and steady personality, which fully met her ideal partner standards.
As a former volleyball player with a height of 1.84 meters, Lang Ping is naturally inclined to look for a partner who is commensurate with his height.
At the same time, with her experience on the volleyball court, she is mature and sophisticated, and she is reluctant to find an immature partner.
White sails fit these conditions exactly.
Bai Fan recalls that his initial relationship with Lang Ping made him feel some pressure, after all, Lang Ping is an internationally renowned volleyball player. But love often transcends reason and scruples, so they eventually come together.
Lang Ping said that Bai Fan was the first man she liked, and when she first met, she felt that they would get married.
Sure enough, as Lang Ping said, the two quickly came together due to similar backgrounds and tacit understanding.
On October 30, 1987, Bai Fan and Lang Ping held a grand wedding at the Beijing Hotel and entered the palace of marriage.
After getting married, they did not choose to live in Beijing to settle down, but soon went to the United States together to start a new chapter in their lives.
When Bai Fan and Lang Ping first arrived in the United States, their living conditions were quite simple, living in a small house.
Since Lang Ping studied abroad at her own expense, she had to pay for tuition and her health, so she had to work part-time in addition to her studies to earn extra income.
The husband and wife can save money, and they eat homemade sandwiches for three meals a day.
It's actually a sandwich, two slices of bread with a little salad dressing,
If you eat too many sandwiches, the two of you will want to vomit whenever they hear the three words "sandwich".
Despite the challenges of life in the United States, they supported and encouraged each other to spend many ordinary and fulfilling days together.
As Lang Ping became a graduate student, she faced a higher tuition burden.
In order to continue her studies, she had to earn enough for her tuition by working part-time.
After learning that Italian athletes are paid well, Lang Ping decided to travel to Italy to compete for a few years before returning to the United States to continue her studies.
In 1989, Lang Ping achieved remarkable results in volleyball in Italy, where she led the team to win the Coppa Italia.
However, the intensive training led to the recurrence of Lang Ping's old injury, and his condition was so severe that even painkillers could not alleviate it.
Eventually, Lang had to return to the United States, where she served as the head coach of the women's volleyball team at the University of New Mexico.
Under her leadership, the team won the women's volleyball championship in the Eastern United States.
With the stability of their careers, Lang Ping and Bai Fan's lives are getting better and better.
Soon after, they had a wonderful piece of news in their lives: a new member of their family.
In 1992, Lang Ping gave birth to a daughter, and Bai Fan became a father.
Bai Fan was very happy about the birth of his daughter and regarded her as the crystallization of his and his wife's love.
He named his daughter "Bai Lang", nicknamed "Lang Lang", which means waves and symbolizes the life conceived by the sea.
He hopes that his daughter can be as free and happy as the waves.
What's more, "Lang" is homophonic with "Lang", so Bai Fan also integrates his love for his wife into his daughter's name.
At that time, Lang Ping and Bai Fan's financial situation had improved significantly, so Lang Ping offered to continue her studies.
Her husband Bai Fan gave unconditional support to this decision, while also taking care of their daughter and the family's daily life.
Lang Ping successfully completed her studies soon after. She originally planned to live a peaceful life with her family, but she changed her plans due to many letters sent from China.
The Chinese women's volleyball team urgently needs a coach like Lang Ping to train athletes, and for the development of the Chinese women's volleyball team, Lang Ping decided to return to China to work and live away from his family.
Although Lang Ping is famous for the title of "Iron Hammer" on the field and shows a heroic side, her loneliness and loneliness at night are little known.
The thoughts of her husband and daughter kept her awake at night, and her daughter's voice kept echoing in her head.
During that time, Lang Ping's life mainly revolved around two things: competitions and phone calls with his daughter.
The daughter is very sensible, often comforting her mother on the phone, and occasionally has a small temper and wants her mother to come back to visit her.
Whenever this happens, Bai Fan will try his best to make his daughter happy.
At that time, the daughter was only three years old, and Bai Fan took on the duties of a father during the day, and at night he had to play the role of a mother, coaxing her daughter to sleep.
Although the two love each other, the long separation eventually creates a gap between them.
In 1995, Lang Ping and Bai Fan decided to divorce in the United States. At that time, their daughter Bai Lang was only two and a half years old. According to local law, the two jointly have custody of their daughter.
Because Lang Ping was invited to return to China as a coach, coupled with his limited income, he could not travel back and forth to the United States frequently, so Bai Lang was mainly taken care of by his father Bai Fan.
It wasn't until after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics that Bai Lang had the opportunity to reunite with his mother.
Due to Lang Ping's busy work as a coach, she was unable to take care of her daughter wholeheartedly, so her daughter was still taken care of by Bai Fan after the divorce. As a great father, Bai Fan did not remarry for 15 years out of love for his daughter, and he did not start thinking about his future until Bai Lang went to high school.
As her daughter Bai Lang gradually grows up, Bai Fan's life has also ushered in a new chapter.
At a gathering of friends, he meets Jennifer, a Chinese-American lady full of gentleness and wisdom.
Jennifer's appearance seems to bring new vitality and color to Bai Fan's calm life.
The two found many things in common in their constant exchanges, whether it was their love of art or the similarity of their ideas of life, they were surprised by how well they fit each other.
Their relationship grew rapidly.
Bai Fan invites Jennifer to watch a basketball game together, and Jennifer takes him to an art exhibition she likes.
In these activities together, the two discovered more traits that attracted each other.
Soon after, they decided to enter the palace of marriage and started a new journey in life together.
In 2010, they welcomed their newborn son, the White Emperor.
For Bai Fan, who is over the age of six, this little life is an unexpected surprise and happiness.
postscript
In the long river of time, although the story of Bai Fan and Lang Ping is tortuous, their respective lives are still dazzling. As the legend of the Chinese women's volleyball team, Lang Ping's career and dedication have become a role model for countless people.
Bai Fan, on the other hand, shines silently on another stage of life as a loving father and strong supporter. Although their paths diverged, their stories are still woven into the rich history of sports and family life in China.
Daughter and younger brother
With the passage of time, Bai Fan found another possibility in life in a new love. His encounter with Jennifer not only brought him new family happiness, but also rejuvenated his life. For Lang Ping, despite the dual challenges of family and career, she still insists on her dreams and influences everyone with unremitting efforts and strong will.
Their stories show us that no matter what challenges life throws at us, as long as we have love and perseverance, we can always find the strength to move forward. Their story is not only about sports legends, but also about family, growing up and starting over.