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Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

author:Shi Jixing said

Soon after the founding of New China, the United States began to adopt a policy of blockade and isolation of China, which also led to the complete isolation of exchanges between China and the United States, and Sino-US relations also fell into an unprecedented freezing point.

With the continuous changes in the international political situation, especially the strategic posture of the United States in the Vietnam War, which was mired in the quagmire of the Vietnam War and the Soviet Union attacking and defending the United States, the United States began to change its attitude toward China, and Sino-US relations began to loosen somewhat.

However, how to find a suitable opportunity to formally and gradually restore friendly diplomatic relations between China and the United States has become a matter of active communication and preparation between the two sides.

At this time, a table tennis player named Zhuang Zedong took the initiative to extend the hands of friendship to American table tennis players, but unexpectedly promoted the "table tennis diplomacy" between China and the United States.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

Zhuang Zedong

Zhuang Zedong's father, named Zhuang Tishen, was appreciated by a Jewish real estate tycoon named Hartung when he was young, and later betrothed his adopted daughter Luo Shizhen to Zhuang Tishen.

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Hartung and his wife spent a lot of money to buy several royal palaces, and specially let their son-in-law Zhuang Tishen personally manage the property. The Hartung couple had no biological children, only Luo Shizhen, an adopted daughter, so Zhuang Tishen's material life after marriage was very superior.

A few years later, Zhuang Ti deeply carried his mother-in-law and his wife in Yangzhou's former residence, Jinwu Zangjiao, and married a young woman named Lei Zhongru, and the two gave birth to a man and a woman, the boy of which was Zhuang Zedong.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

The first on the right in the back row is Zhuang Zedong, the second on the right is Zhuang Tishen, and the front row is Zhuang Zedong's mother

Because he was an illegitimate child, he could not see the light from an early age, but the rich property obtained from his father-in-law allowed Zhuang Tishen to give his wife a good enough material life, and Zhuang Zedong was able to grow up under superior living conditions from an early age. It was not until the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan that Zhuang Tishen took the children to Beiping, and it was considered that the family was finally reunited.

Zhuang Zedong was not in good health since he was a child, in order to make his son strong and healthy, Zhuang Tishen took his son to learn martial arts. The six-year martial arts learning career laid a solid foundation for Zhuang Zedong to embark on the road of table tennis in the future, and also had a great impact on his sports career.

At the age of 11, Zhuang Zedong officially began to accept table tennis training, and 5 years later he had become the champion of the men's singles of the Beijing Junior Table Tennis Championships, entered the national youth team at the age of 19, became the world table tennis champion at the age of 21, and won the world triple championship, becoming a well-known table tennis player in China.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

Zhuang Zedong's first wife was named Bao Huiqiao, and she was a pianist.

In 1959, at the World Youth Festival in Vienna, two young people fell in love at first sight and quickly fell in love. But Zhuang Zedong was a table tennis player who was highly expected by the state at that time, so Zhuang Zedong's unit requested that before Zhuang Zedong participated in the World Championships, the two people were not allowed to fall in love.

Beautiful love is always affectionate and ends with courtesy. Out of respect for each other, Zhuang Zedong and Bao Huishuang really did not see each other for a year.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

Zhuang Zedong and Bao Huiqiao

In 1965, they ended a three-year love run and successfully entered the palace of marriage. In the first few years of life after marriage, the two people experienced many ups and downs together, but fortunately, the two people supported each other and frothed each other, so they were still happy. Until 1973, Zhuang Zedong began to enter the career, and the relationship between the two people was rifted.

Because he was busy with work, Zhuang Zedong spent less and less time with his wife, and even gradually assumed the responsibility of a husband and father.

Bao Huishuang recalled that when she gave birth to her second child, she begged Zhuang Zedong, who was the director of the sports committee at the time, to accompany her husband and give her spiritual support. But Zhuang Zedong's heart was all poured on the career path, and in the face of his wife's pleading, he only said one sentence: "I will go to see the foreign guests in a while, and I will leave first." ”

For a whole afternoon, Zhuang Zedong did not appear, and when he appeared in the delivery room again, he was like a big cadre inspecting the work, with an entourage outside to "inspect" it.

This incident has brought great harm to Bao Huishuang's heart, coupled with the difference between the two people's three views, there is also an irreparable huge crack in the feelings, quarrels and cold wars have become commonplace.

On February 2, 1985, after calm consultation, the two parties formally went through the divorce procedures.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

Bao Hui Buck

After ending his first marriage, Zhuang Zedong began to reflect on his behavior. In his mind, he often remembered the words that Bao Huishuang said: "You have never done what a husband and a father should do." ”

After the divorce, he put all his thoughts on work, first to Shanxi, and then to beijing Children's Palace to teach. It was during this time that Zhuang Zedong met his second wife, his Japanese female fan Atsuko Sasaki.

Although Atsuko Sasaki is Japanese, she was actually born in China, and she also works in China, and can speak Fluent Chinese. Atsuko Sasaki's frequent overtures and gentleness and delicacy made the single Zhuang Zedong excited, and he soon established a relationship.

It was only for political reasons that Zhuang Zedong could not marry a foreign woman. In the end, it was Deng Xiaoping's special approval that the marriage was finally repaired.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

In the decades after marriage, the two people were in love with each other and never had a red face. Zhuang Zedong, who learned from his first marriage, knows how to understand and respect Atsuko Sasaki. Atsuko Sasaki is very reasonable, and is very obedient to Zhuang Zedong and very supports Zhuang Zedong's decision. The two people qinser and ming, and the life is very happy.

After the founding of New China, the United States adopted a policy of blockade and isolation toward China, and exchanges between the two countries have been cut off. In the future, with the continuous changes in the international situation, the relations between China and the United States will also begin to loosen. How to take this first step has also become the focus of the world's attention.

Just when the two countries were actively looking for an entry point, no one thought that because of a small ping-pong ball, the stalemate diplomatic relations between the two countries had been changed, which was for "ping-pong diplomacy."

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

In 1971, the 31st World Table Tennis Championships were held.

At that time, each country had its own shuttle bus, and considering that some countries "did not deal with each other", the shuttle bus was particularly separate. The Chinese players had all boarded the bus, and just as the driver was about to start, an American athlete suddenly came up.

Finding that the cars were all Chinese athletes, the American athletes were suddenly stunned. By the time he reacted, the train was moving slowly, and there was no way to open the door and get off.

The American athlete inexplicably got on the Chinese shuttle, and the atmosphere in the shuttle became very awkward, everyone looked at each other, and no one dared to take care of the American athlete. For ten minutes, there was an uncomfortable silence in the carriage.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

About fifteen minutes later, just as the shuttle was about to reach its destination, Zhuang Zedong slowly got up and walked toward the American athlete. A teammate gently pulled Zhuang Zedong's clothes and carefully reminded him: "Don't make trouble, don't go." ”

Zhuang Zedong said: "He is just an athlete, it's okay." ”

Zhuang Zedong smiled and introduced himself to the American athletes, and the other party suddenly became excited when he heard that the person in front of him was zhuang Zedong, the champion of the three-time World Championships. It turned out that this American athlete was still a small fan of Zhuang Zedong!

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

Zhuang Zedong took out a piece of Hangzhou brocade about one meter long from his bag, smiled and said, "This gift is for you." ”

Zhuang Zedong later recalled that he did this for two reasons:

First of all, China is a country of etiquette, and hanging others there is really inconsistent with the state of etiquette.

Secondly, it is also a very important point. Not long ago, Chairman Mao met with his old friend North on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square and once said a meaningful sentence, "We want to pin great hopes on the American people." ”

Considering the above two reasons, Zhuang Zedong made this bold move.

And this move was recorded by foreign media reporters in the same industry, and Chinese athletes actually stood with American athletes? The news soon became explosive and was widely reported by foreign media.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

And did Zhuang Zedong's behavior violate foreign affairs discipline? Do I need to return to my home country to be punished? These issues have also become a matter of contention within the Chinese delegation.

During this critical period, the U.S. delegation formally sent a request to the Chinese delegation: "The U.S. table tennis team wants to visit China. ”

This incident caused quite a stir in Zhongnanhai, and Chairman Mao made special instructions to arrange for the US delegation to visit China as soon as possible. No one expected that it was the small ping-pong ball that actually led to the diplomacy of the two countries. Some people commented that this is exactly "the small ball drives the big ball." "The hero of this matter is Zhuang Zedong.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

In 2006, Zhuang Zedong was diagnosed with cancer and underwent eight surgeries before and after, but he never got better. In July 2012, Zhuang Zedong's condition deteriorated sharply, and even the major hospitals that had been treated were unwilling to accept Zhuang Zedong's request to continue hospitalization.

Until the end of her ex-husband's life, her ex-wife Bao Huishuang often came to visit with her children. Especially during the Spring Festival, we will also eat a reunion dinner together, and a large family is very lively, as if there is no gap. Bao Hui's practice also became the happiest thing in Zhuang Zedong's later life.

The daily life of the two people all depends on Zhuang Zedong's children's palace pension, because his wife, Atsuko Sasaki, is a full-time wife and has no income and financial resources. In order to ensure that his wife's future life can be guaranteed, he mentioned auctioning his calligraphy works many times and leaving a will, hoping to sleep with dignity, not to trouble everyone, and not to say goodbye to the body.

Zhuang Zedong: Relying on table tennis to drive Sino-US diplomacy, he died at the age of 73, and did not engage in the body to bid farewell to the two marriages of the budding table tennis players

On February 2, 2013, when everyone was celebrating the Chinese New Year's Eve and preparing to welcome the New Year, Zhuang Zedong, who had been fighting the disease for 5 years, closed his eyes, and the legend of the football world came to an end.

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