In the beautiful coastal city of Dalian, Liaoning Province, an ordinary family in 1964 ushered in the birth of Zhan Shuping. Perhaps God deliberately played a joke, Zhan Shuping went to the countryside with her parents soon after she was born and spent her childhood years in that land.
Although life is hard, it is this exercise that has allowed her to temper her tenacity and hard-working qualities.
After returning to Dalian, under the careful care of her parents, Zhan Shuping grew like a seedling rapidly, and her height was much higher than that of boys of the same age, and she soon showed extraordinary athletic talent.
Whenever there is a sports event in the school, Zhan Shuping is the first player named by the coach, and she has never lived up to everyone's expectations and can always return with honor.
It is worth mentioning that when Zhan Shuping was still a minor, she created an astonishing height of 1.4 meters in a high jump competition.
Soon after the competition, the coach enthusiastically extended an olive branch to Zhan Shuping and invited her to join the regular training of the sports school. Although Zhan Shuping's parents were surprised by this invitation, they readily agreed.
In this way, Zhan Shuping followed her inner love and started her legendary basketball road. After entering the sports school, she always had a pious heart and worked diligently on the training ground.
Her tenacious and indomitable personality was soon revealed in front of Jiang Tianbao, the famous women's basketball coach of the Shenyang Military Region.
At that time, Coach Jiang set out to screen a group of talented and potential women's basketball stars in the sports school, and Zhan Shuping was undoubtedly the first choice he handpicked.
Under the arrangement of Coach Jiang, Zhan Shuping gradually integrated into the Shenyang women's basketball team and started a new chapter in her career.
A dream Olympic journey
During the training of the Shenyang women's basketball team, Zhan Shuping quickly attracted the attention of the national team with her extraordinary strength and talent. In 1982, at the age of 18, she was honorably selected for the national youth team, and a new chapter in her life began.
In the same year, Zhan Shuping won the Asian Youth Women's Basketball Championship for the country with the youth team. When she stood on the podium and stared at the cheering audience with the shining gold medal in her hand, she felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment in her heart.
This honor is not only an affirmation of her past efforts, but also the greatest motivation for her to move towards higher goals.
Zhan Shuping bet her entire life and vowed to spend her life working hard to practice her love for basketball. After six years of training with the youth team, she finally got the moment she dreamed of – in 1988, she became a member of the national team and began her dream "Olympic journey".
That year, the 24th Summer Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to Zhan Shuping, the national team also gathered top meritorious players of the domestic women's basketball team such as Zheng Haixia, Peng Ping, and Ling Guang at that time.
In the face of the world's strongest lineup, the strength of the Chinese team is temporarily difficult to compete with, and it finally stopped at the sixth place in the group stage.
For the first time to represent the country in the Olympic Games to get such a result, Zhan Shuping is deeply unwilling and disappointed. After returning to China, she and her teammates started "devilish" training, sweating every day and doing their best on the field.
In this way, four years flew by, and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics kicked off again.
This time, the high-spirited Chinese women's basketball players seem to have made up their minds to "wash away the shame" for the country.
Zhan Shuping, Zheng Haixia, Wang Fang, Li Xin and other players have carried the glorious history of the Chinese women's basketball team. Just when this glory was at its peak, fate began to play tricks on Zhan Shuping.
Shortly after the Barcelona Olympics, she had to be hospitalized for a recurrence of her old illness and was on the verge of missing the upcoming World Basketball Championships.
Watching her teammates racing against time on the field, Zhan Shuping was extremely sad, she could only be forced to sit in a wheelchair and do her best to cheer for her teammates. Although the Chinese women's basketball team finally won the runner-up again, Zhan Shuping was still full of regrets in her heart.
In addition to the joy, there is more of an endless frustration that I can't fight on the field.
Coaching the Shenyang women's basketball team to create brilliance
In September 1994, Zhan Shuping had just turned 30 years old and came to an important fork in the road in her life. Because the old disease could not be completely cured, the doctor announced that she would no longer be able to engage in strenuous sports for the rest of her life, and she had to choose to retire.
For an athlete at the peak of his career, this is undoubtedly a blow in life.
Zhan Shuping's heart was extremely painful, and she couldn't accept that she would say goodbye and leave her beloved basketball career like this. But the reality was ruthless in the end, and she had to follow the doctor's advice and choose to retire.
After a period of painful suffering and careful consideration, Zhan Shuping decided to move behind the scenes and devote herself to the work of basketball coach.
It didn't take long for the invitation from the Shenyang women's basketball team to warm Zhan Shuping's inner trauma like charcoal in the snow. In 2005, she did not hesitate to accept the role of coach and start a new chapter in her career.
As soon as she took office, Zhan Shuping personally coached with the style of a strict teacher, and she was never soft on the players, and she criticized even the smallest mistakes.
But once she gets off the field, Zhan Shuping will become a considerate big sister again, caring for every team member like a mother. In the face of this "iron-faced and selfless" coach with a heart of liberation, although the players are a little uneasy, they are more sincerely respected and loved.
Under the careful guidance of Zhan Shuping and the joint efforts of the whole team, the Shenyang women's basketball team won the championship of the National Women's Basketball League twice in 1999 and 2000, contributing to the hometown.
At the same time, in various competitions of the Chinese Women's Basketball Association, the Shenyang team led by Zhan Shuping also made great progress and returned with many cups.
What is impressive is that before Zhan Shuping took over the Shenyang women's basketball team, the team's record was not ideal. But since the arrival of her "big parent", as long as she plays, other teams will be jealous and sigh: "Hey, it's Coach Zhan Shuping's team again."
Just when her career was in full swing, Zhan Shuping's private life suffered a heavy blow. In 2003, her young husband Fu Wei died young, which undoubtedly brought a devastating blow to Zhan Shuping.
Her son Fu Hao is only 6 years old, and as a single mother, she has to work and work hard at both ends of the family and work hard.
However, this could not hide the trauma in Zhan Shuping's heart. In the dead of night, she can't help but reminisce about her late husband. Staring at the sleeping Fu Hao, Zhan Shuping's eyes were moist, and the crystal tears slipped down many times.
The people around her saw it in their eyes and persuaded her whether to consider starting a new marriage, but Zhan Shuping refused again and again, insisting that "I can live well alone".
met Jiang Tongbiao and remarried
Although Zhan Shuping once insisted that "one person can live well", God does not seem to want to see this strong woman bear the burden of life alone. At some point in 2007, Zhan Shuping got acquainted with a young handsome, chic and uninhibited basketball referee - Jiang Tongbiao.
Jiang Tongbiao is four years younger than Zhan Shuping, but his appearance and temperament are undoubtedly among the best. The two soon discovered that since they were both engaged in basketball, they had many common languages to communicate in life.
As he became more and more familiar, Jiang Tongbiao was deeply impressed by Zhan Shuping's indomitable character.
In the long process of getting along, Jiang Tongbiao developed a deeper and deeper affection for Zhan Shuping, and finally at an appropriate time, he mustered up the courage to propose to his sweetheart and confess.
In the face of Jiang Tongbiao's sincere love, although Zhan Shuping was a little hesitant, looking at his persistent eyes, the inner defense line finally gradually collapsed.
Jiang Tongbiao knew Zhan Shuping's situation very well, so he made a solemn promise to her: "Please rest assured, I will definitely love your son Fu Hao with all my heart and treat him as my own flesh and blood."
After learning about this, Fu Hao also took the initiative to promote this marriage, and he soon developed a deep dependence on this "stepfather".
In 2008, Zhan Shuping completely regained her happiness, and with her trust in Jiang Tongbiao, she embarked on the road of restarting her family. After getting married, Jiang Tongbiao always kept his promise, he cared for Fu Hao wholeheartedly, and even took the initiative to give up the idea of having children in order to reduce Zhan Shuping's burden.
Seeing her husband so considerate of herself and her son, Zhan Shuping was sincerely moved to tears. Once upon a time, she thought that she was destined to be alone in the world, but now with the arrival of Jiang Tongbiao, she finally has a new family harbor and re-found the meaning and direction of life.
With the companionship and encouragement of her family, Zhan Shuping has also regained her fighting spirit in her career. She began to consider returning to coaching and continued to use her passion to spread the seeds of basketball.
Return to coaching
In 2013, an exhausted Zhan Shuping had to take a break from her coaching job because she was diagnosed with a premature heart beat. In order to save her life, Zhan Shuping had to follow the doctor's advice and temporarily left her beloved Shenyang coaching position.
This is undoubtedly another major blow in her life. After learning the news, Zhan Shuping's husband Jiang Tongbiao knew how sad his wife would fall into after losing her career.
So during this critical period, he tried his best to spend precious time with his lover and enlighten her, and used actions to help her quickly get out of the haze.
Thankfully, a year later, in 2014, Zhan Shuping's physical and mental condition had recovered to its original state. At this time, the Xinjiang women's basketball team was faced with the major task of finding a new head coach.
With the joint efforts of all parties, Zhan Shuping did not hesitate to take over the whip again and embarked on a new journey in life.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhan Shuping took office, she showed her outstanding Executive, and under her leadership, the Xinjiang women's basketball team quickly achieved remarkable results.
Later, when she was transferred to the head coach of the Bayi women's basketball team, she also created a new glory for the team.
Despite her advanced age, Zhan's love for basketball and her attention to detail have not diminished at all. On the training ground, she is never soft on her players, even if it is a small mistake, she has to criticize it fiercely.
But once she is off the field, she will change again and care for every member of the team with thoughtfulness.
It is this "iron-faced and selfless" teaching style that makes her always win the love of all the team members no matter where she coaches. On the field, Zhan Shuping's strict style made countless opponent teams jealous, and they all sighed: "Tsk, it's Coach Zhan Shuping's team again, I'm afraid I'm going to suffer a loss."
Yes, it is precisely with the persistent pursuit of basketball that Zhan Shuping can create brilliance on the road of coaching again in middle age and add new luster to Chinese basketball.
It is with her own life that she interprets a legendary inspirational chapter.
The future of mother and son
While completing this legend in his life, Zhan Shuping's son Fu Hao is also ready to go, and under the careful cultivation of Jiang Tongbiao, he finally grew into an outstanding basketball player.
Yes, Zhan Shuping has used her life to interpret her persistent love for basketball, and her dedication and achievements on this road are destined to become a role model and source of strength to inspire future generations.
Now Fu Hao has just grown up, he has the proud figure of his mother, and more importantly, he learned from Jiang Tongbiao how to treat his "stepfather" with the heart of a relative.
Once upon a time, Fu Hao was still a child who didn't understand anything, and his mother's remarriage made him confused and confused for a while. But Jiang Tongbiao won his trust with practical actions, and now Fu Hao regards Jiang Tongbiao as a close family member.
With this family's trust, Fu Hao can also work the court. He often recalls his mother's glorious deeds when she was young, and that was the biggest motivation for him to move forward.
The baton of life has been passed to the new generation, and in the future of basketball, we have reason to believe that Fu Hao will be able to go more exciting. After all, he has Zhan Shuping's blood flowing in his body, and he is the biological flesh and blood of the famous women's basketball player who once won honor for the country.
We sincerely wish Fu Hao a bright future, and also wish Zhan Shuping a new glory in her coaching career.