In 2022, Mr. Hu Jin, who is over the age of old, was once again warmly invited by the Sichuan women's volleyball team to return to the coaching position. When he stepped onto the stage and looked at a group of energetic young girls who had a deep respect for the highly decorated coaches, Hu Jin felt a lot of emotion in his heart.
Time flies, and this is the third time he has chosen to take a risk without hesitation and continue to pursue his beloved volleyball career.
However, in the process, his wife Zhang Rongfang had to take on the responsibility of the family again and live a life of separation. In the face of his wife's consistent and full support, Hu Jin was full of gratitude, but he couldn't hide the guilt in his heart.
For decades, the legendary couple has spent most of their lives in gathering less and leaving more, and Zhang Rongfang has paid countless hard work.
Hu Jin walked up to his wife and hugged her tightly, his eyes full of deep guilt and apology. Zhang Rongfang reciprocated with a gentle smile, her gaze was firm and persistent, as if she was ready to give everything for love.
To understand the story of the legendary couple Hu Jin and Zhang Rongfang, we need to start with their outstanding performance on the volleyball court.
Zhang Rongfang has shown otherworldly talent since she was a child, and at the age of seven, she was known as the "strange country woman" because of her amazing strength, and her arm strength was amazing. At the age of 13, her outstanding volleyball talent was discovered by the Sichuan women's volleyball team and quickly rose to the main attacker.
With the "three fast and one tricky" stunt of "quick eyes, smart pace, and tricky serving angles", her smash is as fast as thunder and unpredictable, making it difficult for opponents to parry, thus winning the reputation of "weird ball player".
In 1976, Zhang Rongfang officially joined the Chinese national women's volleyball team. Eight years later, at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she led the Chinese women's volleyball team to win the gold medal as the captain, achieving the brilliant record of Chinese volleyball's "three consecutive championships" and becoming a national idol of that era.
At the same time, Hu Jin also performed well in men's volleyball. He has won several honors, including fifth place in the World Cup and Asian Championships, for which he was awarded the title of "Best Athlete".
The fate of the two began on the volleyball court. At that time, Hu Jin was personable and exuded charming masculine charm, which left a deep impression on Zhang Rongfang. Although Hu Jin had reservations about her at first, Zhang Rongfang's enthusiasm and persistence eventually moved him, and the two came together in 1981.
From that decisive day, they seem to be the characters in the book of bumpy fate, on the volleyball court where honor and setbacks coexist, support each other, and go through the ups and downs of life together. That deep love and enthusiasm for the cause have been inseparable like flesh and blood.
In 1985, Zhang Rongfang had entered middle age, and after leaving the position of national women's volleyball player, her husband Hu Jin resolutely took over the burden in her hands and was entrusted with the important task of becoming the coach of the national women's volleyball team.
Faced with this major choice, Zhang Rongfang's heart was full of worries. She knows her husband's love and dedication to volleyball, but it also means that they will have to face a long separation and the family will be under great pressure.
Despite Zhang Rongfang's repeated persuasion, Hu Jin unswervingly chose to contribute to the national women's volleyball team, and he resolutely said: "Personal happiness is important, but the women's volleyball career is more noble." Since then, their careers and families have taken different paths, and they have climbed their own peaks.
Under the careful guidance of Hu Jin, the Chinese women's volleyball team successfully defended the championship of the competition three times in a row from 1985 to 1988, once again writing a glorious chapter in history. However, the good times are always short-lived, and the defeat in the semi-finals of the 1988 Seoul Olympics was like a bolt from the blue, which made the people of the whole country sad, public opinion was in an uproar, and Zhang Rongfang cried silently in front of her husband.
After this fiasco, in 1989, Hu Jin officially became the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team. At that time, this team had a number of experienced veterans such as Lai Yawen and Wu Dan, and their strength could not be ignored. However, in the following years, the Chinese women's volleyball team's record took a sharp turn for the worse, and finally only achieved a dismal result of seventh place at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
This result undoubtedly broke the hearts of fans across the country, public opinion was in an uproar, and Hu Jin became the target of public criticism. As his wife, Zhang Rongfang naturally couldn't stay out of the matter, and was questioned and abused by the outside world. Some extreme fans have even spoken out against her of covert manipulation when her husband was appointed.
In the face of such a difficult situation, Zhang Rongfang could only cry silently, even though her heart was painful, she never revealed half a word in front of Hu Jin, lest it affect his work mood. She knows her husband's love and dedication to volleyball, and even if he is attacked by public opinion, he will never give up easily.
After the painful defeat in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Hu Jin, the coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team, chose to leave in frustration and chose to temporarily stay away from the embrace of the motherland and go to Malaysia to serve as the coach of the men's volleyball team.
At this time, Zhang Rongfang was left alone in Beijing, shouldering the burden of the family, taking care of her children and elderly parents, and living a busy and difficult life. Whenever Hu Jin called from far away, she always reported good news and not bad news, for fear that he would worry outside and affect his work.
However, the moment she hung up the phone, the pain in her heart could not be suppressed, and tears flowed down like a spring.
In 1994, a ray of light finally came. The Sichuan Provincial Women's Volleyball Team sent an invitation to Hu Jin, hoping that he could return to his hometown to coach, which made Zhang Rongfang see the hope of their husband and wife reuniting. Under her persuasion, Hu Jin resolutely decided to leave Malaysia and return to his hometown to coach for four years.
During this period, Hu Jin successfully led the Sichuan women's volleyball team to win the national championship for four consecutive years with her outstanding leadership skills, and became famous. However, his separation from his wife is still unavoidable, and Zhang Rongfang can only work alone at home, taking care of her growing son Hu Shi.
Once, due to a long period of strenuous exercise, Zhang Rongfang suffered from a severe lumbar disc herniation and was unable to stand. Seeing his mother in such pain, Hu Shi wanted to step forward to help, but failed due to lack of strength, and the mother and son couldn't help but tear up each other.
This scene still makes Hu Jin recall it with a lot of emotion and tears.
In order not to affect her son's studies, Zhang Rongfang even offered to change his name and change the original "Hu Shi" to "Hu Shi". This seemingly small name change, but behind it is the mother's deep love for her son.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Zhang Rongfang persuaded Lang Ping to return to the national women's volleyball team, and finally won the silver medal. In 1999, after Lang Ping resigned due to physical reasons, the Chinese women's volleyball team once again faced the dilemma of a coach vacancy.
At this time, Hu Jin was strongly recommended by the national team as the new head coach, and although he had experienced many failures in the past few years, he still chose to return to coaching.
Although Zhang Rongfang was deeply worried and tried her best to oppose it, she finally chose to stand firmly on the side of her husband Hu Jin. In her view, personal happiness is extremely important, but the far-reaching impact of Hu Jin's persistent pursuit of volleyball cannot be ignored.
The 2000 Sydney Olympics, the grand celebration of the millennium, undoubtedly became a controversial stroke in Hu Jin's coaching career. Despite the tremendous hard work he and his team, sweat and tears were intertwined, the Chinese women's volleyball team only stayed in the regrettable fifth place in the end.
Such a result is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Hu Jin, who won the title of gold medal coach of the national team in the past, and it is the biggest insult to his career.
Since then, Hu Jin has completely lost the precious opportunity to coach the national women's volleyball team for the third time. Doubts and criticisms from the outside world are pouring in, and Zhang Rongfang, as his wife, naturally cannot escape the baptism of this storm.
Some extreme fans even openly abused her, accusing her of clandestine manipulation when her husband was appointed, leading to the team's tragic defeat.
Time flies, and more than ten years have passed in a blink of an eye. It wasn't until 2017 that Hu Jin, who had entered his sixtieth year, finally relieved himself of the heavy responsibility on his shoulders and officially announced his retirement and return to his family. When he met his wife Zhang Rongfang again, he deeply realized the great sacrifices and hardships she made to support him.
In order to make up for the regrets of the year, Hu Jin was determined to repay his wife with practical actions in his later years. He took the initiative to take on all the housework, took care of Zhang Rongfang's daily life, and would gather with his son and daughter-in-law every weekend to share the joy of family, and do his best to create a warm and harmonious living environment for her.
Looking back, their life path can be described as tortuous and bumpy, full of ups and downs, full of struggles and grinds. However, it is precisely because of Zhang Rongfang's strong backing that Hu Jin can move forward bravely without scruples to chase the volleyball dream in his heart;
Similarly, Zhang Rongfang is also relying on her deep love for her husband to be able to wholeheartedly support him to coach outside while being busy with housework.
Throughout their lives, every major decision meant the separation of family and career, but they never wavered in their support and understanding of each other.
This sincere emotional bond is a powerful source of motivation for them to get through the ups and downs of life together.