Lang Ping:Chinese Volleyball Goes Global

The best things come to those who wait， or so the saying goes. On August 21， the final day of the 2016 Rio Games， the Chinese women’s volleyball team secured the country’s third gold in Olympic volleyball and first since Athens 2004 by defeating Serbia in the final match. Understandably， head coach Jenny Lang Ping was celebrated as a national hero.

A Legend Is Made

Above and beyond a “sports star，”Lang has reached legend status. Lang was born in Beijing in 1960 into an ordinary family. Despite her parents’ pressure to study medicine and become a doctor， the vertically endowed young woman embraced volleyball and excelled at it so much that she became an iconic player and household name in the country of more than a billion inhabitants.

Lang earned the nickname “Iron Hammer” as a dominant athlete. As the star of the Chinese women’s volleyball team， Lang led the team to a streak of victories in the 1980s including the World Cup， World Championships and Olympics， which not only cheered up the nation， but also helped revive public morale and kindle a great sense of national pride. These triumphs meant even more internationally. As the leading figure of the Chinese women’s volleyball， Lang became representative of China’s return to global sports after the “cultural revolution” （1966-1976）.

The Chinese public adored her. In the 1980s， while the West was glued to Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s nuptials， Lang Ping’s wedding was broadcast on national television in China. Her face graced postage stamps， and stadiums were named after her. During the 1980s， as China began to implement reform and opening up， the“spirit of the women’s volleyball team，”which was widely interpreted as “becoming a champion through hard work，” became the driver of an entire generation. As some American publications noted， the U.S. has never seen a sports star achieving Lang’s scale of popularity—not even Michael Jordan.

However， when Lang’s career as an athlete reached an end， it was clear that she would not be content with a routine life. In the late 1980s， Lang declined an offer to become an official with China’s General Administration of Sport and instead opted to travel to the U.S. to study. She later moved to Italy， where she began her career as a professional coach. In 2005， she took over at the helm of the U.S. national team and later led the team to win silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

At the Beijing Olympics， Lang led the American team to a 3-2 win over China， which kindled heated discussions in her home country. Some Chinese people found the development hard to swallow and a few more radical voices dubbed Lang a traitor. However， the mainstream reaction was beaming pride for Lang’s international success and China’s successful “export” of top sports professionals to other countries.

Return to China

In 2013， Lang returned to China to become head coach of the women’s national volleyball team just as the team had reached a low point. “The women’s national volleyball team is loved deeply by the Chinese people and achieved many glories in the past，” she remarked. “Chinese volleyball faces major difficulties and we have a lot of work to do.”

She wasn’t joking. China’s sports system， which has long been criticized for being too rigid and failing to cater to the individual talents of some athletes， has undergoing gradual reforms in many fields in recent years， but improvements in volleyball were few and far between. For example， the inaccessibility of science-based training concerned Lang a great deal when she first took over the team. “We don’t have much detailed analysis of physiology， such as how to adjust certain muscles and calculate the calorie intake required to sustain certain sports activities，” Lang once commented.

Lang spearheaded bold reforms herself. Her experience as a player and professional coach in Asia， Europe， and the U.S. gave her broad global vision. She changed outdated training concepts and rehabilitation techniques and built a multi-faceted support group. A personalized physical training program was designed for each and every player. Lang eliminated a few training exercises which had been used for decades， but increased the chances of injury. Implementing cutting-edge injury treatment was a key strategy， with an eye on lengthening careers. “In terms of protecting our players， I hope to set an example for volleyball teams across China，”Lang once declared. “I’m not trying to give up on training when I talk about protecting athletes—I’m saying that scientific training and management really matter.”

The most consistent face in Chinese volleyball over the past three decades turned out to be the harbinger of a new era. In recent years， the Chinese team has participated in more international matches to keep pace with volleyball’s latest devel- opments. Lang has encouraged Chinese players to play overseas. With her help and support， Chinese spiker Zhu Ting played in the Turkish league and participated in some of the world’s most competitive matches. With her acute observation on how globalization and commercialization can fuel sport， Lang fostered fresh insight into volleyball.

“Old Spirit” for the New Era

Against the backdrop of China’s historic reform and opening up in late 1970s， the Chinese people were proud of and greatly inspired by the “spirit of women’s volleyball team，” which came to represent hard work， unity and perseverance. However， honor brings responsibilities. “In my playing days， players could never make excuses for a lousy performance and never relax because the whole nation was watching them，” Lang once explained. “The country as a whole needed their success.”

However， a lot has changed within Chinese volleyball and even Chinese society since then. Things are very different today. While still craving sports successes， Chinese people have begun to enjoy a broader range of sports and appreciate competitors’efforts instead of focusing only on medals. Patriotism and sportsmanship no longer directly correlate with results at major international events.

Thus， the spirit of the Chinese women’s volleyball team， which once emphasized the pursuit of championship， has been revived and amended to become more inclusive. “Winning is not everything，” Lang admits. She now prefers to define the spirit as investing all out of one’s strength even when facing the most meager possibility of winning. “We may fail， but when we pick ourselves up and get back in the saddle， we don’t get discouraged and remained focused. We may not win， but we never give up trying.”