One day in 2009, Ma Wenge received a **, the content of which surprised him very much - his old employer 15 years ago, that is, the leader of the Tianjin men's table tennis team, invited him to return to China as a coach!
Ma Wenge was moved by this invitation, like a call echoing in his ears, which made him both surprised and caught in a dilemma.
15 years ago, Ma Wenge moved to Germany with his wife and children, worked hard in a foreign country, and successfully established his own small family and career. If he chooses to return to Germany, he will have to give up all the achievements he has made in Germany.
Ma Wenge was once a leader in Chinese table tennis and represented the country many times. Now that the country needs him again, what will he decide in the face of such a choice?
——The legend that shocked the table tennis world·]—
On March 27, 1968, Ma Wenge was born in a family of ordinary workers in Tianjin, and he also had an older sister, and the family lived a simple life.
After entering primary school, Ma Wenge joined the school table tennis team and began to receive systematic training. He has been fond of table tennis since he was a child, and he often frolicks on the court with his sister.
Ma Wenge's training conditions were very poor at that time, and he often hit the ball against the wall repeatedly by himself, studying the rotation of the ball, and often practiced Xi late into the night.
Ma Wenge is diligent and studious, good at summarizing lessons and lessons, and has explored and mastered many skills in training. Because the teacher saw that he had solid basic skills and was making rapid progress, he decided to let him participate in the inter-school exchange competition.
He excelled in the competition and won unanimous praise from his teachers and classmates.
At the age of 11, Ma Wenge represented Tianjin in the National Children's Table Tennis Tournament and won the championship twice.
Ma Wenge didn't care about the difficult conditions in the team, and concentrated on practicing Xi basic skills. Not only does he train a lot and he is very diligent, but he also trains on his own. After mastering various spinning techniques, he has created a unique set of plays.
Ma Wenge participated in the National Table Tennis Championships at the age of 17 and defeated several world champions in succession, including Jiang Jialiang and Chen Longcan, to eventually win the title.
As a result, he became famous, and three months later joined the national team as he wished, officially starting his career.
At that time, Chinese table tennis was at a low point, and it suffered frequent defeats in world competitions, and the young Ma Wenge became the brightest star in the team.
In the 1989 World Table Tennis Championships, the Chinese team only won the runner-up. Ma Wenge was powerless when he witnessed his teammates' defeat to the Swedish team, and he made up his mind to correct the name of Chinese table tennis!
At the 10th World Cup, Ma Wenge showed an unstoppable dark horse posture, which gave new hope to the expectant eyes of the older generation.
He defeated several masters in a row and finally managed to win the gold medal! This battle made Ma Wenge famous in one fell swoop, and also injected new vitality into the Chinese table tennis world!
At that time, the situation in the international table tennis world was turbulent and unpredictable, and a gold medal alone could not completely change the current situation of China's lack of table tennis strength, and the playing styles of players from all over the world were very peculiar, which made Chinese players feel very uncomfortable.
Ma Wenge realized that he had to improve, so he began to study his opponents day and night, while making the most of his strengths.
In the end, he successfully created a new style of play that integrates Chinese and Western techniques - the cross-plate two-sided reverse rubber arc ball, which has injected new vitality and impetus into the Chinese table tennis world!
Ma Wenge won the first Olympic bronze medal in the history of Chinese men's table tennis at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and won the men's singles title at the 13th World Table Tennis Championships in the same year.
At the 1995 World Table Tennis Championships, the Chinese team decided to strive to win the championship in Tianjin, its home stadium, to shame it! In order to prepare for the competition, Ma Wenge even gave up the World Star Tour, which had a high prize money, and devoted himself to training with an injury.
In the competition, he defeated Kim Zezhu, Liu Nankui, Persson and other opponents who were in the limelight at that time, and won the team championship for the Chinese men's table tennis team again after 6 years, completing the great feat of reversing the decline!
The Ma Cultural Revolution witnessed and promoted the revival of Chinese table tennis, from the fiasco in 1989 to its comeback in 1995. It is precisely by relying on his spirit of tenacious struggle and stable play that Chinese table tennis can rebuild confidence and regain glory.
Ma Wenge loves table tennis and has a soft spot for it. He became a table tennis legend with this passion and was selected as one of the top ten table tennis players in the country in 1996.
After that, he maintained his humble attitude and continued to perform well in major competitions!
——Drag the family to survive in a foreign country]—
Shortly after winning the World Table Tennis Championships in 1995, the 27-year-old Ma Wenge left China with his wife, Li Fan, to make a living in Germany.
The first days of a young couple can be described as a completely different language, culture and social environment, which can be full of difficulties.
They don't know anything about German, which makes their daily lives extremely restrictive, and even shopping and visiting supermarkets have become a problem, let alone communicating with the locals!
In this strange country, Ma Wenge felt helpless and frustrated by the language barrier, and although he tried to express his needs through dictionaries and gestures, the results were not as good as they could have been.
Mr. and Mrs. Ma Wenge were not only plagued by language barriers, but also felt lonely because of the cold character of the Germans: in China, people are hospitable; In Germany, personal space and privacy are considered sacrosanct.
People keep a considerable distance from each other and rarely disturb the lives of others easily. When Ma Wenge first arrived in a foreign country and needed help, he often found that he was being ignored, which made them feel very disappointed.
In 1998, the most memorable thing happened to him. At that time, Ma Wenge's son suddenly had a high fever and was in a critical condition.
Ma Wenge wanted to ask his neighbors for help, but due to the language barrier, he was unable to articulate his request clearly. Regrettably, the neighbors were indifferent to this and refused to provide any help.
Taking care of a sick child alone, Ma Wenge was running around in a strange city, feeling extremely anxious and desperate. I finally found a hospital, only to be told that the doctor was off duty and it was impossible to come back to work!
After the hospital was rejected, Ma Wenge almost collapsed, but fortunately, with the help of well-wishers, his son finally survived the dangerous period, which made Ma Wenge breathe a sigh of relief.
Since then, he has come to understand that this is the difference between the two countries' societies and cultures. As an outsider, he can only try to adapt and fit in, and in the end he can't change others on his own!
Even so, Ma Wenge decided to stay in Germany and successfully realized his dream of table tennis. He went on to join 5 different clubs and played around 60 official matches a year.
Despite being in a land that was not friendly to him, Ma Wenge still achieved great success in the field of table tennis with his excellent skills.
Ma Wenge said that the reason why he was able to maintain his competitive condition was because he had experienced hard training, and secondly, because the company of his family gave him sufficient mental support, which played a role in maintaining his physical fitness and skills.
After 15 years of unremitting efforts, the Ma Wenge finally succeeded in Germany. In addition to the thriving table tennis business, he also invested in a parts processing factory with his friends.
Not only has he achieved great things, but he has also enjoyed a happy family, and his two children were born and raised in Germany, and they have obtained green cards and permanent residency. This new life watered by sweat and tears made Ma Wenge full of emotion.
——Abandon the high salary to serve the motherland.]—
Ma Wenge received an invitation from the Tianjin men's table tennis team in 2009 to return to China as a coach, when he was 41 years old.
Ma Wenge was playing professional table tennis at a club in Germany at the time, with an annual salary of more than 100,000 euros, and this invitation brought him a huge shock. Returning to coach meant that he needed to give up his current privileged life.
After careful consideration, Ma Wenge resolutely chose to return to China. Not only did he give up his income in Germany, but he also transferred his shares to his partners and returned to China with his wife and two sons.
The two sons, who grew up in Germany, were very incomprehensible about this decision. They cried and said, "Dad, we have developed the Xi of life in Germany, and our friends are there, so it will be very uncomfortable for us to suddenly return home!" ”
Although his wife Li Fan is also reluctant to live in Germany, she understands her husband's determination and comforts her sons: "We are all Chinese, and it is the cultivation of the motherland that gives us the ability to achieve achievements in work and life, and we should understand and support him." With the support of his wife, the two sons finally agreed to return to China with Ma Wenge.
After returning to China, Ma Wenge began to serve as the head coach of the Tianjin men's team, and according to the contract, his annual salary was only 100,000 yuan, less than one-tenth of that when he was in Germany.
Li Fan is still responsible for the family's affairs, taking care of his elderly parents and children, and in order to save money, the family lives in a small room in the Tianjin team guest house.
Despite his poor life, Ma Wenge never regretted his choice. Under his guidance, the strength of the Tianjin team has been greatly improved.
In order to repay the motherland, I must respond to the call of the country! Ma Wenge said to the players: "We must go all out in the competition, strive for the first, and win glory for the country!" ”
According to the characteristics of each team member, he formulated a scientific training plan for them, and also selected a group of primary school students for training. These young team members regard Ma Wenge as a relative-like existence and call him "Master Ma".
In 2013, the Tianjin team won the men's doubles championship at the National Games, and Ma Wenge led the players to raise their fists of victory excitedly.
In the following time, the Tianjin team has achieved many excellent results in a number of important competitions. In 2018, under the leadership of Ma Wenge, the Tianjin team won the championship of the Chinese Table Tennis Club Super League for the first time!
The national anthem sounded, and with the raised national flag, Ma Wenge and his team members were so excited that they shed tears.
Ma Wenge realized that it was necessary to start from the grassroots level and cultivate young players, so he selected young players from all over Tianjin, and personally instructed them in basic techniques, taught tactical thinking, and injected new vitality into Tianjin's table tennis career.
Every year, he leads these young athletes to participate in national junior competitions to enhance their practical experience.
Under his careful guidance, these young athletes have grown into core members of teams at all levels, and many of them have now shown their talents in the national team, thanks to Ma Wenge's careful teaching.
——The author's summary·]—
The 55-year-old Ma Wenge is still active in his coaching role, personally guiding and working with the players whenever there is a major event.
He gave up a lot for the sake of his table tennis career, but he never regretted his choice. He practiced his love for table tennis and loyalty to the motherland with practical actions, and Ma Wenge's life was of great significance.
With his own personal experience, he inspires more people to stay true to their original intention and devote themselves to sports. Ma Wenge used his legendary life story to show the world that loving the motherland and serving the motherland is the greatest glory in life.