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In April 2013, at the Qingming Hour, the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery in Beijing was shrouded in haze, and the drizzle continued to slide down like tears of grief. This once peaceful cemetery was bustling with activity on this day, and countless people waited eagerly for one last time to see the face of a great hero.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, soldiers in solemn military uniforms and a group of tall women in black mourning clothes appeared in the crowd, holding volleyballs woven from flowers, on which the words "All old women's volleyball teams respect".
A loud order pierced the sky, "Please line up in an orderly manner and send the old coach on the last ride."
After hearing the command, people from all walks of life quickly lined up in a long line. In the team, you can see the well-known "Iron Hammer" Lang Ping, "Women's Volleyball Team Captain" Sun Jinfang, "Legendary Female Center" Zheng Haixia and other well-known athletes.
Immediately, under the leadership of coach Yuan Weimin, they gathered in the farewell hall to extend their deepest farewell to the departed hero.
Looking at the coffin affectionately, Lang Ping choked up and made an oath: "In the next life, we will still fight side by side and fight together for the honor of the motherland." Wang Zhizhi, a well-blessed basketball superstar, also burst into tears and mourned the death of his mentor.
This grand funeral is a testament to what a glorious chapter the deceased left in the field of sports. She is the heroic fighter who led the Chinese women's volleyball team to win the world championship for the first time - General Chen Zhaodi.
As the first general among the women's volleyball players, she dedicated her life to the volleyball cause of the motherland without reservation and witnessed the rise of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
This legendary "women's volleyball general" can be called a real hero, and her exploits will forever be recorded in the annals of history, and it is worthy of all our Chinese sons and daughters to remember and admire forever.
In 1955, Chen Zhaodi was born in an ordinary family in Shaoxing, Zhejiang.
As expected, Chen Zhaodi, who was a teenager, won the high jump championship with outstanding performance in the school sports meeting, and the audience applauded, which also attracted the attention of the physical education teacher.
In 1971, Chen Zhaodi, who was only 16 years old, stepped into a sports school to receive professional training under the recommendation of her teacher and was given priority to be assigned to the women's basketball team.
However, after a period of polishing and experience, Chen Zhaodi finally understood that her love for basketball was not fierce, and the jumping talent and superiority that once made her proud were not fully displayed in this competitive sport.
So, without hesitation, she found the coach and earnestly asked for a transfer to the volleyball team. This seemingly fortuitous decision has given birth to a world-renowned volleyball superstar for China!
In 1972, Chen Zhaodi, who was only 17 years old, stepped into the door of the youth team of Beijing Institute of Sport and embarked on a journey to pursue her dreams. As a novice volleyball player who is a halfway home, she started late, her foundation is relatively weak, and she can only rely on physical strength in high-intensity confrontation training, lacking skill and teamwork, so much so that the coach once doubted whether she was really suitable for the sport.
However, Chen Zhaodi was not discouraged by this, but inspired a stronger fighting spirit. She redoubles her efforts to fill in her shortcomings: she tries 20 times when others hit the ball out of 10 times, and she keeps practicing until she can't stand up anymore...... Her goal is clear, and since she is temporarily behind in terms of technique, she will build muscle memory through constant repetition so that she can respond to the ball the moment it flies.
"Stupid birds fly first", Chen Zhaodi's diligence and hard work finally paid off handsomely, she was successfully selected into the People's Liberation Army with her outstanding performance, and in 1974, she passed the fierce selection competition and became a core member of the Bayi women's volleyball team.
As a typical southern girl, Chen Zhaodi initially encountered great difficulties in adapting to the northern diet, and even fainted many times during training due to malnutrition, anemia and other problems, until the coaching staff specially prepared a hometown meal for her, and she gradually integrated into this new big family.
With her otherworldly strength, Chen Zhaodi quickly won the attention of the national team and began to represent her country in international competitions. Although she once missed the opportunity to captain the team due to doubts about her leadership skills in the coaching staff, Chen Zhaodi is undoubtedly an indispensable and important pillar of the entire team on the court.
In 1978, Lang Ping, the national player at that time, joined the women's volleyball team as a special recruit, and became the main player as soon as he joined the team, which was in stark contrast to Sun Jinfang, who was gradually promoted to the main force through his unremitting efforts.
As the captain of the team, Sun Jinfang was naturally dissatisfied with Lang Ping's arrival, and the contradiction between the two deepened day by day, and the atmosphere became tense.
Chen Zhaodi's extremely sensitive intuition immediately sensed the subtle changes in the atmosphere, and she stood up without hesitation, bravely taking on the role of mediator, and with infinite patience and gentleness, in a gradual way, gradually dissipated the misunderstanding and mustard between Sun Jinfang and Lang Ping.
After Chen Zhaodi's precise and decent mediation, the two finally let go of their inner prejudices and joined hands to contribute their strength to the great women's volleyball cause.
The following year, under the leadership of Chen Zhaodi, Sun Jinfang and Lang Ping, the Chinese women's volleyball team fought hard and successfully defeated the powerful opponent Japan, undoubtedly ascending to the throne of the Asian championship for the first time, and thus won the honor of "athlete".
This is undoubtedly an epoch-making moment in the development of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
However, the long-term high-intensity training and fierce competition left Chen Zhaodi's body scarred. In 1983, she tearfully announced her retirement, ending a brilliant 12-year career.
However, the legendary women's volleyball team's bravery has not faded, and she still sticks to the front line of the women's volleyball career, but this time as a mentor.
After retiring, Chen Zhaodi did not stay away from the women's volleyball team, but chose to become a coach and continue to work hard for the rise of the Chinese women's volleyball team. In 1993, she took on the role of Director of the Culture and Sports Bureau.
This important position is also the beginning of her deep friendship with basketball superstar Wang Zhizhi.
As China's first player to land in the NBA, Wang Zhizhi has been in the spotlight both internationally and in domestic leagues, and he has always been the center of attention no matter where he is.
However, due to the restrictive clauses of the NBA contract, he could not return to China at any time to play for the Bayi men's basketball team and the national team, and even his contact channels with China were completely cut off.
This situation has aroused strong dissatisfaction in the domestic sports circles and the people of the whole country, and the pressure of public opinion has hit like a flood of beasts, shaping Wang Zhizhi into a "sinner" accused by everyone.
The far-sighted Chen Zhaodi quickly understood the truth of the matter. She took decisive action and contacted Wang Zhizhi's parents, clearly expressing the ardent expectations of the higher authorities for Wang Zhizhi to represent the country.
At the same time, she also entrusted the royal father and queen mother to convey an important message: as long as Wang Zhizhi is willing to return to the motherland, all historical grievances can be written off and completely exempt from accountability and punishment.
In the public eye, regarding the turmoil when Wang Zhizhi left Shanghai, Chen Zhaodi always remained calm and did not make radical remarks. She always stressed that the two sides are actively communicating and reconciling the work.
With a deep passion for basketball, Chen decided to use her influence and excellent coordination skills to pave the way for Wang Zhizhi's return to the national team.
With outstanding wisdom and broad vision, Chen Zhaodi carefully laid out and carefully planned, and finally succeeded in promoting Wang Zhizhi's return to the motherland in 2006. That year, after Yao Ming, the core player of the national team, personally handed over the baton, Wang Zhizhi once again carried the banner of the Chinese men's basketball team and fought bravely for the honor of the country again.
In the same year, Chen Zhaodi won the rank of major general and was respected as the "general of the women's volleyball team".
General Chen Zhaodi's life course fully reflects the spirit of the women's volleyball team of hard work and unremitting struggle. She came from an ordinary family, started late, and was even questioned that she was not suitable for volleyball.
However, she did not back down because of this, but inspired a stronger fighting spirit and redoubled her efforts to make up for her shortcomings.
She tries 20 times when someone throws the ball 10 times, and when someone gets bruised in a block, she keeps practicing until she can't stand...... Her goal is clear, and since there is a gap in technique, she uses repeated practice to make her movements a muscle memory, so that she can respond to the ball when it flies.
It is this perseverance and fighting spirit that made Chen Zhaodi finally stand out and become the main player of the women's volleyball team.
This kind of iron discipline and "murderous spirit" can be seen everywhere in the Bayi women's volleyball team that year. Although not all of the players are talented, they are always able to sweat on the field, and they are praised by opponents as "hard to break", which is really admirable.
After retiring, Chen Zhaodi did not choose to stay away from the women's volleyball team, but transformed into a coach and carefully guided the younger generation. Whether she is in the main position on the court or working silently behind the scenes, she has set a spiritual example of hard work, unity and cooperation of the women's volleyball team with her own practical actions.
It is with such spiritual strength that although the Bayi women's volleyball team may not be able to win the championship in every game, the never-say-die "murderous spirit" is unmatched by other teams, which is awe-inspiring.
Regarding the deeds of General Chen Zhaodi, the women's volleyball team is definitely not just a lively personal performance, but a team struggle that has been passed down from generation to generation! She used her life to interpret this truth.
Therefore, when everyone expressed their highest respect to her with the honorific title of "Women's Volleyball General", they were actually singing the praises of the passionate and resolute spirit of the women's volleyball team she represented!