At the beginning of the 20th century, the Chinese women's volleyball team had such a figure. She is Lang Ping's best teammate and a well-known volleyball goddess. At the age of 24, he won the world championship and was crowned by fans as the "Tiananmen City Wall" with his excellent net blocking kung fu. She is Zhou Xiaolan.
After retiring from the army, he became the head of the volleyball department and made great contributions to the reform of volleyball. Perhaps she was born for volleyball, but in 1995, she resolutely resigned from the position of deputy director, went abroad with her husband, and left the post where she dedicated half her life. What made him make such a decision? What's the story behind it?
Who is Zhou Xiaolan
Zhou Xiaolan was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and her parents did ordinary work. Therefore, her childhood is not related to volleyball, and no one will know that such a girl will become the founder of Chinese volleyball in the future.
At that time, the movement to the countryside was prevalent, and his parents followed the trend and moved to Shanxi, leaving Zhou Xiaolan to be cared for by her grandmother. Her grandmother was very protective of her, so Zhou Xiaolan had a carefree childhood life.
When he was 9 years old, his parents took Zhou Xiaolan to Shanxi, and zhou Xiaolan began his independent life. After arriving in Shanxi, the conditions were extremely harsh. No water for cooking, no lights at night. Her parents went out to work during the day, and the burden of life fell on her. But the most difficult thing is to go to school, you have to walk for half an hour every day, and it is dark when you come home from school.
It is in this environment that she is not afraid of hardships and bravely moves forward. Slowly, Zhou Xiaolan grew bigger and taller, growing to 1 meter 78 at the age of 13. This surprised the parents, was it because they looked good?
In the same year, Zhou Xiaolan also encountered the greatest danger of his life. On a trip home from school, the sky had darkened, and Zhou Xiaolan sang while walking to embolden herself. Suddenly, she saw a pair of green eyes in the grass. Could it be a wolf? The thought immediately frightened her into a cold sweat.
When the gray wolf appeared, she sat paralyzed in fright, and her physiological instincts made her get up and turn around and run. In the face of the fat meat in the mouth, the gray wolf will not let go easily, and patiently chases after it. Zhou Xiaolan didn't run far and stumbled and fell to the ground. Looking back, the gray wolf was close at hand. She picked up the stone around her and tried to throw it over, but she didn't dare to look into the gray wolf's green eyes.
Just when she was desperate, a cry appeared out of thin air. Zhou Xiaolan looked back at the villagers with forks in their hands, and as if encouraged, she got up and ran over. However, the gray wolf did not intend to stop there, and the villagers were not afraid. Because he often goes out of the mountains, he has a wealth of survival experience.
He stabbed the gray wolf's back with a fork in his hand, and the gray wolf could not dodge it and fell to the ground in response. The villagers pressed their forks until the gray wolf did not move again. In this way, Zhou Xiaolan was saved.
In order to ensure Zhou Xiaolan's safety, the villagers escorted her all the way home. After seeing her mother, Zhou Xiaolan could no longer suppress the fear in her heart and cried. She was really frightened. Dad was repeatedly grateful to the villagers. After this incident, Zhou Xiaolan's heart was greatly impacted. What kind of difficulties encountered in the future are calmly faced, not impatient.
Zhou Xiaolan entered the provincial team to break into the national platoon
Zhou Xiaolan's contact with volleyball was purely accidental, and before that, she had no idea what volleyball was for. Still at a sports meeting, 16-year-old Zhou Xiaolan won the glory for the school and chose the long jump and 100 meters two events. At that time, she was already 1 meter 80, and her superior results and physical talent made Taiyuan Sports Institute attach great importance to it. After the game, he found his parents.
They told their parents about Zhou Xiaolan's athletic talent, which surprised their parents, and they did not expect that their daughter was suitable for taking the sports route. In order to get a better display of his daughter's talent, the father agreed to the other party's suggestion. In this way, Zhou Xiaolan came to Taiyuan Sports Institute.
Zhou Xiaolan, who had just arrived at the academy, was very uncomfortable. Because the basketball class was full, she was transferred to the volleyball class. It kept her up. But when she came into contact with volleyball, she fell in love with the sport. She put the unhappiness of life on the volleyball and whipped it out hard, and the volleyball became her best partner.
But she didn't know how to play volleyball at all, and she looked very abrupt in front of a bunch of old students. Zhou Xiaolan also realized this: since he came to the volleyball class, he would practice well and not mix his days. Since then, Zhou Xiaolan has begun practicing day after day.
Originally, the training volume of the professional team was large, but she was not afraid of hardship and insisted on practicing for 3 hours a day. According to the recollections of her classmates, she was always present in the stadium late at night. She wants to catch up with the gap between her classmates. Slowly, Zhou Xiaolan was witnessed by everyone, and the volleyball technique rose sharply. Coupled with her height advantage, she made a name for herself in the same class.
Immediately after being promoted from Taiyuan Sports School to Taiyuan City Team, then Shanxi Provincial Team, and then Shanxi Women's Volleyball Team. The teacher praised Zhou Xiaolan's efforts and talents: it was a rare genius. The teachers of the middle basketball class have been prevaricating back several times, and they are not willing to give them away.
In 1977, the world's first Youth Volleyball Championship was held in Brazil. Due to the age limit, the participating players must be under the age of 20, resulting in many players not being able to participate in the election. At this time, Zhou Xiaolan entered the vision of the teachers. Less than 20 years old, 182 tall, directly elected.
In the first battle of the championship, the Chinese youth women's volleyball team won the second place. Zhou Xiaolan's talent also makes the national team very optimistic, so the players are absolutely promising to cultivate. After receiving the award, the coach found Zhou Xiaolan: "You are favored by the national team, and you go directly to the national team to report after you go back." ”
This sentence made Zhou Xiaolan dare not believe that he was actually going to enter the national team, which was the hope of many people. After calming down, Zhou Xiaolan nodded in response. After returning to China, Zhou Xiaolan came to the national team to participate in training. She dared to endure hardships in training, was not afraid of tiredness, and soon hit the main position.
The national team coach commented on Zhou Xiaolan: "Training hard, top talent, dare to fight, not afraid of sweating." From the age of 16 who did not know volleyball to the age of 20, she was selected for the national team, she was born for volleyball. ”
National team journey
At that time, the national team had no glory, no women's volleyball spirit, and was not even world-class. Because there is a big mountain in front of them, it is difficult for them to rush out of Asia. At that time, the Japanese women's volleyball team was already a world strong team, and if it wanted to enter the world championship, it was necessary to move this mountain.
Finally, in 1979 they succeeded. In the Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, China, Japan and South Korea competed for the final victory. Japan and South Korea are the world's strongest teams, but the Chinese women's volleyball team is not afraid of difficulties, facing difficulties: clean sheet South Korea, 3-1 defeat to Japan, in front of the two teams to show the limelight. In the end, he won the Asian Championship and achieved his goal of breaking out of Asia.
Zhou Xiaolan performed well in the competition, flexible movements, comprehensive attack and defense, and won the best performance award. This game really played the strength of the Chinese women's volleyball team, so that the world began to pay attention.
The 1981 World Championships struck again. In order to defend the honor, the Chinese women's volleyball team cannot afford to lose. The venue for the tournament is set in Tokyo, where the Japanese team has the advantages of timing, location, people, and the cheers of the audience are even higher than the whistles of the judges. In the face of huge pressure, Zhou Xiaolan took the lead in standing up.
She observes the opponent's defense and position on the field at all times, and actively communicates with her teammates. Each scoring gives your teammates the greatest encouragement. Finally, a vacancy in the opponent's left rear was discovered. She first used her own defense to stabilize the situation, and at the critical moment, she pushed up the volleyball to give Lang Ping a violent dunk. Volleyball lands and scores. They managed to win the trophy of the world championship.
This is the first time that China has made a historic breakthrough in basketball, volleyball, football and other sports competitions. At this moment, they were happy and broken, and everyone hugged together to celebrate.
After the game, the Japanese media praised Lang Ping and Zhou Xiaolan vigorously. Comparing Lang Ping to an iron hammer hitting the ball fast and accurately, and comparing Zhou Xiaolan to the tiananmen gate wall, the defense is airtight. After this battle, the countries of the world have looked at Chinese sports with great admiration. Zhou Xiaolan said in an interview: "We played an unexpected game, we played.
Just as the whole country was immersed in joy, danger crept in. Zhou Xiaolan suddenly had acute appendicitis abroad, and everyone was at a loss. After a thorough examination, the team doctor pointed out that appendicitis surgery must be performed immediately. Zhou Xiaolan had not yet had time to return to China to celebrate when she entered the ward.
Countless fans are very eager to know this, and the national team issued a statement: "Zhou Xiaolan is only a simple appendicitis operation, and there are no other injury attacks, thank you for your concern."
After 1 month, Zhou Xiaolan's body slowly recovered and she could get up and walk independently. Just when everyone thought it was better, the bad news struck again: eating junk food by mistake caused a bacterial infection, which made Zhou Xiaolan vomit up and down every day, and her weight lost more than a dozen pounds in just two weeks.
Two injuries caused a severe load on her body. Although there are nutritional supplements, the damage that can occur to the body is irreversible. When he got better again, he found that the level of competition had seriously declined, and the new generation of players behind him was in a hurry to get into the position, which made him very confused. The main player of the national team no longer has her place.
But the head coach did not give up on her, hoping that she could return to her original state through training. Through the guidance and encouragement of the head coach, the tenacious Zhou Xiaolan stood up again. She returned to the main lineup with a unique defense, and this time she wanted to tell everyone with strength: "The walls of Tiananmen" did not fall.
Finally, at the 9th Women's Volleyball World Championship in 1982, the Chinese women's volleyball team won the gold medal again to win glory for the country. Zhou Xiaolan also tried her best for this competition.
After the World Championships, Zhou Xiaolan's state declined again. His body could no longer withstand the heavy training and was quickly squeezed out of the main list. Zhou Xiaolan accepted reality under the comfort of the coach. After all, age and injury are a mountain that athletes can never avoid.
After calming down, she started to do auxiliary work: pointing out the problems of the players in training, soothing the psychology of the team members in life, observing the form on the field, and giving advice to her teammates. Perhaps some people feel that it is better to retreat if they can't fight. For the Chinese women's volleyball team, they are a whole and indispensable.
In 1984, with the efforts of the Chinese women's volleyball team, they successfully won three consecutive championships. After winning the championship, everyone hugged together in pain, and only they themselves knew how much they had lost for this honor.
Zhou Xiaolan was quite emotional about this, the first two crowns were his absolute main force, and it was not a feeling to sit on the bench and watch the game this time. With the honor of the women's volleyball team's three consecutive championships, they became world stars. They used volleyball to tell the world: this is the Chinese women's volleyball team, this is China's strength.
Please resign as deputy director general and go abroad with your husband
After becoming famous, Zhou Xiaolan slowly withdrew. At the same time, she also met her true destiny, former national volleyball player Hou Xiaofei.
After retiring, Zhou Xiaolan chose to go to Shanghai University of Sport for further study. Main attack management, hope to continue to stay in the women's volleyball team. Sure enough, after graduation, he was invited by the National Sports Commission to serve as the head of volleyball. She once again stood with the Chinese women's volleyball team with her own strength.
After Zhou Xiaolan served as the head of the volleyball department, he made many reforms in response to the existing situation, laying the foundation for the later Chinese women's volleyball team. Based on her contribution to the women's volleyball team, she was soon promoted to deputy director.
Just when her career was on the rise, she did something that surprised everyone - submitted her resignation application. What is the reason why Zhou Xiaolan, who loves volleyball, voluntarily submitted his resignation application?
In 1992, the Chinese women's volleyball team lived up to its past glory and went downhill. Even the fact of doping appeared during the race. These two points have made the Chinese women's volleyball team stand on the cusp of the storm. In the face of the pressure of the leadership and the confusion of the people, Zhou Xiaolan took the initiative to stand up and take responsibility.
The women's volleyball players could not bear to see the veteran humiliated and joined forces to stop the press conference. But things have to be resolved eventually. In 1995, in order to revitalize the Chinese women's volleyball team, Zhou Xiaolan mobilized Lang Ping to return to China to teach on behalf of the national team. The two had been friends for many years, and when the state was employing people, Lang Ping accepted Zhou Xiaolan's suggestion. The two were very happy about this, and after so many years, they could finally fight side by side again.
But at this moment, Zhou Xiaolan received a notice: "The specific matters of Lang Ping's return to China are handled by others, and Zhou Xiaolan is waiting for his life." This order made Zhou Xiaolan very puzzled, is it difficult to unload and kill the donkey?
With a complicated mentality, Zhou Xiaolan still came. She only represents herself, picking up for so many years of feelings. Even so, her superiors explicitly forbade her behavior. Can't see Lang Ping? This made her wonder what she had done wrong?
After going back, Zhou Xiaolan thought hard, but she couldn't find any reason. Faced with the current situation, she began to doubt herself, and after careful consideration, she submitted her resignation application to the organization and resigned from all positions such as deputy director. The leader was very reluctant, but he could not stand Zhou Xiaolan's insistence and could only agree.
Zhou Xiaolan's resignation has attracted widespread media attention. Many people want to dig up first-hand information, Zhou Xiaolan's answer: it is only a personal reason. Soon Zhou Xiaolan went abroad with her husband and settled overseas.
After going to the United States, Zhou Xiaolan declined the invitation of many teams. In her eyes, since she has resigned, she can enjoy life well and concentrate on taking care of her family. Usually busy with work and no time to spend time with his family, now he has to double his compensation. With the identity and status of the two, they were soon granted permanent residency and a green card in the United States.
Slowly, they are on the right track in the United States. There she met a lot of new friends and went to teach elementary school students to play ball or go sightseeing. There are also many Chinese restaurants where they live, and they can often eat Chinese food.
After some time, Zhou Xiaolan accepted an invitation to work as a volleyball coach at George Washington University. Perhaps with a different philosophy, he quickly quit the job. Later, she chose to leave volleyball and work for a medical company.
In the United States, Zhou Xiaolan lived a free and happy life. Don't worry about the image of the star, don't care about the status. They could be their truest selves, and she loved the feeling. Now the most distressing thing for her is the child, and she wants the child to return to China to receive an education in China. But the child was born in the United States, and he is already an authentic American.
Now Chinese volleyball and Zhou Xiaolan have developed well, and I hope that they can get better and better in the future.