Wang Chen： My heart is still China’s heart.

　　"The change of a paper’s nationality will never change the strong flavor of Beijing in me, or the fact that I was cultivated by China. My heart is still China’s. The Beijing Olympics is the pride of Chinese people all over the world. I wish Beijing well and cheer for the Olympics. " -Wang Chen

　　BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) According to the American Overseas Chinese Weekly, the American Olympic Committee recently announced a list of events to participate in the Beijing Olympic Games. In the list, five Chinese athletes were selected, including China-born table tennis player Wang Chen, which attracted the attention of many table tennis fans and people familiar with Wang Chen.

　　Anyone familiar with table tennis knows Wang Chen’s position in China’s national women’s table tennis team in the last few years of the last century. Wang Chen has won nearly 30 women’s singles titles in her career, including professional tour, Asian Cup and World Table Tennis Championships. Among them, in 1997, Wang Chen won the women’s team championship for three consecutive times in cooperation with Deng Yaping, Wang Nan, Li Ju and Yang Ying at the 44th World Table Tennis Championships held in Manchester, England. Wang Chen, who became famous in the early 1990s, was once regarded as the most potential newcomer of China team after Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong. She is one of the few tall players in the China team. She has defeated all the first-team players such as Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong, and has maintained a technical advantage over the younger generation of players Wang Nan, Li Ju and Yang Ying for a long time.

　　Now, as a Chinese athlete, a former world champion, a former main member of China’s national table tennis team and now a main member of the American women’s table tennis team, Wang Chen has been selected as the American Olympic delegation and will soon participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

　　At present, Wang Chen runs a table tennis club named after himself in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, new york. I have obtained the qualification to represent the United States in the Olympic Games held in Beijing. Wang Chen said indifferently that he was lucky to realize his Olympic dream at the age of 34. For the 34-year-old Wang Chen, this will be her last fight in the international table tennis competition, and it will also be a perfect curtain call for her personal career. With many questions about the former national player’s naturalization in the United States and curiosity about the eight-year struggle history of the United States and the story of Beijing’s Olympic dream, the reporter came to the table tennis club in Wang Chen as promised.

　　At 1 o’clock in the afternoon, it was the time for lunch and lunch break, and he came to a small office of the table tennis club named after him. At this time, Wang Chen was being interviewed by local news media in new york. After our interview was delayed for about 15 minutes, Wang Chen appeared in the reporter’s field of vision.

　　Olympic dream of Beijing

　　Talking about the Beijing Olympic Games, Wang Chen seemed very excited and excited. "It is a rare opportunity for every athlete to get tickets for the Olympic Games, and this Olympic Games is held in Beijing, so I will take part in whatever I say," Wang Chen told reporters with a smile.

　　In order to compete for the Olympic qualification, Wang Chen traveled around the world nonstop to participate in various tournaments to collect points. According to the regulations of ITTF, the top 20 athletes in the world will automatically get seats in the Olympic Games. Wang Chen is currently ranked 29th in the world, but Wang Chen can be ranked 14th because of the rule that only two players can be submitted by one country. From this, Wang Chen automatically won the seat of the Olympic Games.

　　Regarding getting a seat in the Olympic Games, Wang Chen said that he has been an athlete for most of his life and has never let go of his love for table tennis. It is his first time to participate in the Olympic Games and he is really excited to return to his hometown. At the same time, Wang Chen also feels lucky.

　　During Wang Chen’s eight years in the United States, Wang Chen not only didn’t give up table tennis, but also worked harder than before. She changed her raw rubber playing method to two-sided anti-rubber attack to give full play to her height and arm length. Tactics have obviously become more flexible than before, and the murderous look has also increased. She has won the women’s singles championship in the North American Championship for the United States many times.

　　From 1993, 19-year-old Wang Chen made a blockbuster in the women’s singles final at the Seventh National Games, competing with Deng Yaping, who was in full swing at that time, to now representing the United States in the Beijing Olympic Games. After 15 years of table tennis career, Wang Chen finally realized his life wish and participated in the Olympic Games this summer.

　　My heart is still China’s heart

　　When it comes to the "Overseas Corps", which is controversial by Chinese people, as one of them, Wang Chen didn’t feel embarrassed. Wang Chen said that it was only his love of table tennis that kept him going. At present, the women’s team in China has particularly advanced technology, so it can’t pose a threat to the women’s team in China in the Olympic Games to switch to other national teams after retiring from China. In fact, in recent years, the "Overseas Corps" has never posed a direct threat to the China table tennis team’s gold medal, and the Chinese people have lost a lot of criticism.

　　What will happen when the reporter puts forward the assumption that he will meet China athletes at the Beijing Olympic Games? Wang Chen said that table tennis has already transcended national boundaries, and in recent years, he has returned to China from time to time to compete, learn from each other and practice with China team members. Everyone has a deep friendship with each other. Ask again, if you meet China athletes during the Olympic Games, will your heart change? She said, "After all, this year’s Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, and the atmosphere will naturally be very warm. However, every time I meet a player from China, my hands are tight and I am easily influenced and distracted by the audience. It is possible that my heart is still because of China’s heart. "

　　When it comes to the prospect of Olympic achievements, Wang Chen seems very calm. Wang Chen said that in the United States, unlike China, there is systematic training and preparation for war, and it can only be self-reliant. She now represents the Dutch club in the European League and warms up for the Olympics through the competition. Speaking of the event, Wang Chen said that the Olympic women’s table tennis singles competition is a strong dialogue, without high expectations, and it is a fight. As for the women’s team, the US team is still promising to compete for medals. After all, there are two people, Gao Jun and me. Except for China, no team can guarantee to win both of us.

　　Wang Chen is very excited about returning to Beijing. She said that Beijing now is very different from Beijing where she used to live, and every time she returns to Beijing, she is very novel and excited. The change of my own nationality will never change the strong smell of Beijing in me, or the fact that I was cultivated by China. My heart is still China’s. Beijing Olympic Games is the pride of Chinese people all over the world. Bless Beijing and cheer for the Olympic Games.

　　Sweet and sour, eight-year trip to America

　　In 1999, Wang Chen, who was only 25 years old, chose to retire because there was no more room for promotion and development in the women’s table tennis team in China. In the year after retiring, she has not found a suitable way out for various reasons. At that time, my sister was running a fur business in New Jersey, USA. With her sister’s help, she applied for special talents to immigrate to the United States. Now Wang Chen’s sister has returned to China to settle down, while Wang Chen has stayed in the United States to develop.　

　　Wang Chen said frankly that when he first came to the United States, he wanted to give up the cause of table tennis completely, engage in a brand-new job and create a new future. Later, it was found that there are many die-hard fans and fans of table tennis in the United States, many of whom are Americans and many immigrants. One of the die-hard fans is Jerry, the owner of her current club? Jerry Wartski. Jerry also completely changed the fate of Wang Chen.

　　Jerry, 77, is a big fan of table tennis. Engaged in real estate work in new york in his early years. In 2002, when Wang Chen began to teach Jerry, Jerry already owned a table tennis club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, new york, and later named it after Wang Chen.

　　Knowing Jerry can be said to be a turning point in Wang Chen’s life in America. When I first arrived in new york, Wang Chen once offered to work as a temporary worker for Jerry, with an income. Jerry sternly refused. He said, "No, you are a China champion, an American champion or a world champion. I can’t let you be a temporary worker. You must stay in the arena." To this, Wang Chen is very emotional. She said that Jerry gave me a platform to continue my favorite table tennis career in the United States.

　　Through several years’ hard work, Wang Chen Table Tennis Club has become more and more famous in Manhattan, and many celebrities include Keanu, the hero of The Matrix. Reeves and mcenroe, the "bad boy" in tennis, are frequent visitors to Wang Chen Table Tennis Club. For the present results, Wang Chen did not show pride. She said that I have learned a lot from eight years of living in the United States, which is my greatest gain.

　　Love in the swimming pool

　　Zhou Yue, Wang Chen’s husband, is a native of Xi ‘an. He studied in Xi ‘an Institute of Architecture and Engineering, and now he is studying for a master’s degree in environmental engineering at Columbia University, and has passed the examination of a professional certified real estate appraiser in the United States.

　　She met her husband Zhou Yue in the swimming pool of Columbia University. At that time, I often went to Columbia swimming pool to practice because I couldn’t swim. One day, I felt that I could never teach myself. I had to ask someone else. I found a man who was very proud of breaking waves in the water. I thought, why don’t you ask him? So I swam over, and the first thing I asked him was, "Do you speak Mandarin?" He stood in the water and said, "I’m from mainland China and Xi ‘an. I also taught myself from teaching CDs." Then we started talking. Slowly, our contact will be more, and the circle of Columbia University is very small, so we will get familiar with each other when we get together frequently.

　　In July, 2004, at the US Open, Zhou Yue rushed to watch the game in Wang Chen, and Wang Chen lived up to expectations and won the women’s doubles championship with Liu Jia, the former sister of the Beijing team. A few months later, Zhou Yue took out a carefully selected Tiffany diamond ring worth more than 6,000 US dollars and formally proposed to Wang Chen. Both parents were quite satisfied with the background and personality of the two young people. Soon after, Wang Chen and Zhou Yue registered to get married in new york.

　　After eight years of ups and downs, Wang Chen has gone through years with great difficulties. Besides Wang Chen’s own hard work. In the United States, Wang Chen is lucky. With table tennis as a link, she has been helped by good people from different classes. (Zou Bin)

Editor: Lu Wei