I’ve been browsing a few table tennis forums and noticed that many people hold Coach Wu Jingping in very high regard. However, in this post, I’d like to bring up another coach whose name will be familiar to those who have followed table tennis for a long time. I’d like to translate a post this coach published on Weibo in response to Wu Jingping’s criticism of the CTTA and WTT. Although the post has since been deleted, one interesting detail is that Wang Hao and Ma Lin, both former students of Wu Jingping, publicly liked it.
Coach Yin Xiao was born on July 15, 1953, and is one of the most respected and renowned coaches in the history of Chinese table tennis. In 1988, he was appointed coach of China’s junior national team, where he became the head coach of Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui. In 1991, he became a coach of the men’s national team. He played a major role in training and developing Kong Linghui and Liu Guoliang, both of whom went on to achieve the Grand Slam, with Liu Guoliang becoming the youngest player in history to accomplish this feat.
In 2000, he became head coach of the men’s national team. In 2003, he stepped down and became head coach of Shandong Luneng. From 2014 to the present, he has served as head coach of Shandong Weiqiao, leading the club to Super League titles in 2016, 2017–2018, 2021, and 2024. He also served on the advisory team at the Tokyo Olympics. In 2024, he was appointed head coach of the National Youth Training Team. On February 15, 2025, Coach Yin Xiao published a lengthy post on Weibo. I’d like to translate it here for everyone to read and reflect on:
Regarding Coach Wu Jingping’s post, as a veteran coach, I hold a different view. Wu’s post focuses on two main issues. First, the claim that the Chinese national table tennis team (CNT) deliberately took advantage of and pressured Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng into withdrawing is simply untrue and even turns the truth upside down.
WTT is a commercial tournament circuit organized under the auspices of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), and it also serves as an effective complement to the Olympics and World Championships. Just consider this: how can any country, business, or national team develop and become powerful without a strong economic foundation? The WTT series has only been around for a few years and is still in its infancy, so it is inevitable that some aspects of its operation remain unreasonable. At the recent Singapore event, improvements and optimizations were clearly made, demonstrating the ITTF’s goodwill. Of course, every professional tournament has its own rules of operation, and a system of rewards and penalties is only natural.
Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng worked tirelessly for eight years and achieved outstanding results across two Olympic Games, bringing glory to their country. However, we must not forget that their success was also made possible by the contributions of national team coaches, sparring partners who trained alongside them, support staff, and the entire table tennis community across China’s provinces and cities.
Second, Coach Wu Jingping mentioned that the CNT had “squandered its entire legacy.” I do not understand where this claim came from. In my view, such a statement is no different from an insult to the tremendous efforts of the current generation of players. Chinese table tennis has maintained its dominant position for the past 60 years thanks to the unity, sacrifices, and tireless dedication of generations of people. In elite sports, if you do not move forward, you will inevitably fall behind. Who would dare to become complacent? No generation of the CNT has ever dared to let its guard down.
Since 2003, the men’s national team has won 11 consecutive World Team Championship titles. Across six Olympic Games, China has won 24 out of 26 available gold medals. I once joked that “the CNT is doing things that defy the laws of nature,” because fans have gradually come to take winning championships for granted, while finishing second earns nothing but criticism.
I would also like to say something about the next generation of players. I have worked in coaching for 50 years and have a certain understanding of the principles governing the development of future talent. Not every era can produce top-level talents. Even though China has a strong foundation in table tennis, we cannot defy the laws of nature. If you do not believe me, just look back at history.
Under the guidance of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), the National Youth Training Team was established in late 2020. It consists of a junior team for players aged 11 to 15 and a younger youth team for players aged 7 to 10. Every year, a selection tournament is held to identify the eight most outstanding players for promotion to this team. The players undergo two training camps each year, going through numerous rounds of selection and rigorous training.
After four years of hard work, China’s next generation of players has begun to show clear results. The world’s leading junior table tennis nations are concentrated mainly in Asia, with China, Japan, and South Korea leading the way. Although Europe also has some promising young talents, there is still a noticeable gap overall in my assessment.
At last year’s Asian Youth Championships in the U15 and U19 categories, we won 11 of the 13 titles. At the East Asia Hopes Cup U12, we also swept all four titles. These achievements are backed by concrete results. These young talents have all been developed by provincial teams and clubs. The CTTA’s role is to support their development and help maximize their potential.
As for China’s men’s national team, from Zhang Jike, Ma Long, and Xu Xin to Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin, alongside three emerging talents who are only 19 years old—Lin Shidong, Huang Youzheng, and Chen Yuanyu—the different generations of players are well balanced in terms of age and playing style, forming a comprehensive lineup.
Any generational transition takes time. It requires young players to mature through major tournaments, sometimes achieving unexpected results and sometimes paying the price for their inexperience. This is an inevitable part of the process. How, then, can anyone call it a breakdown in the succession of talent? I believe that before long, someone among these players will emerge as the next standard-bearer, carrying forward the glory of Chinese table tennis.
It has been more than 60 years since Rong Guotuan won China’s first World Championship title in 1959. Through the relentless efforts of generations of players, Chinese table tennis has continued to thrive. I cannot help but mention names such as Xu Yinsheng, Zhuang Zedong, Li Furong, Xu Shaofa, Zhang Bianlin, Cai Zhenhua, and Liu Guoliang. They were pioneers who played central roles in leading China’s national table tennis team through different eras.
I firmly believe that the current generation of players will not let the national flag fall! The road ahead may not always be smooth, and there will inevitably be ups and downs, but the flag of China’s national table tennis team will continue to fly high forever!
Photo 1: Yin Xiao (left) with Ma Long. (Source: BaiduWiki)
Photo 2: Yin Xiao with Wang Chuqin at a Shandong Weiqiao event (Source: RedNote)
Photo 3: Yin Xiao (left) coaching Kong Linghui. (Source: Baidu Wiki)
