◇ "Senior" new immigrants
As a new immigrant who has settled in the North American continent, the United States is actually no stranger to Zhou Xiaolan. 1986 and 199 1 year, Zhou Xiaolan went to study in the United States twice, the first time at the University of California and the second time at George Washington University in Washington, DC. However, these two studies were interrupted because of domestic work needs, and Zhou Xiaolan was ordered to return to China. Although Zhou Xiaolan went abroad to compete, she has been to many countries. When it comes to the feeling of living in the United States, Zhou Xiaolan seems relaxed, not only because she is freed from heavy workload and unnecessary personnel pressure and disputes, but more importantly, her whole family is here to reunite with other families and enjoy family happiness. Zhou Xiaolan is so concerned about and cherishes this hard-won family life that after coming to the United States, she declined the employment of many teams and wholeheartedly played the role of a good wife and mother at home. Since Zhou Xiaolan played volleyball with the former national men's volleyball team on 1985, and Hou He, the coach of the Bayi Team of the People's Liberation Army, got married, they have been busy with their respective careers. Later, due to Hou's application to teach in Europe, they separated intermittently for eight years. During this period, although Zhou Xiaolan also went abroad to visit relatives, her domestic work often kept her busy. Especially after her daughter was born, Zhou Xiaolan longed for a calm and stable family life. After coming to the United States, Hou was hired as a coach by the volleyball team of the University of Maryland, while Zhou Xiaolan stayed at home to teach her husband and fully supported her career. After family life got on the right track, Zhou Xiaolan began to look for a job that suits her and can take care of her family at the same time. At present, she works in the data processing center of the computer department of a national medical investment company in the bustling downtown area of Baltimore. Although they are all superstars, Zhou Xiaolan's life and work experience and mode in the United States are no different from those of most American scholars and new immigrants, but they are far from the generous situation of American professional players. Zhou Xiaolan recalled that she lived in a one-bedroom apartment until 1994 when she became the deputy director of the ball department of the State Sports Commission. After becoming an official, the housing standard was upgraded to two rooms and one living room. After winning the women's volleyball championship three times in a row, the national players didn't get a lot of rich remuneration or salary increase as expected. At that time, Zhou Xiaolan's salary was still RMB 54 yuan, but various reputations and certificates followed, such as "National March 8th Red Flag Bearer" and "New Long March Commando". In this regard, Zhou Xiaolan still believes that spiritual encouragement is very important for a person's physical and mental growth process. If everyone looks at money blindly, the image of China women's volleyball team with five consecutive championships will be another scenery in people's minds. Zhou Xiaolan has no complaints about the hard training and poor material life in the past "eventful autumn". On the contrary, she is very attached to her comrades who have worked hard together for the same goal and shared weal and woe, and that precious memory often moves Xiaolan who has fought many battles. However, to her great regret and helplessness, "officialdom" has become a continuation of the stadium, but the openness, frankness and trust on the stadium have disappeared because of the different venue cultures. To this end, Zhou Xiaolan had to make up her mind to leave this job that made her physically and mentally exhausted. She is determined to find her original self ...
Uneven career path
The legendary story of China women's volleyball team winning five consecutive championships not only inspired Chinese people's high morale, but also surpassed "half the sky" in the international arena. However, there is no ever-victorious general in the world With the retirement of veteran women's volleyball team, China women's volleyball team failed to keep its winning record in the world volleyball world. After five consecutive championships, it fell all the way, and the ranking of the game fell again and again. Not only that, at the Barcelona Olympic Games, Spain, 192. It was in this critical situation that Zhou Xiaolan, who was studying in the United States at that time, was urgently recalled to China.
Since 1988 became the director of volleyball, Zhou Xiaolan has made some achievements for his beloved volleyball career. She gave full play to her advantages and strengths in sports and did a lot of work, such as reforming the management system of volleyball, improving the organizational form of training and competition, raising competition training funds for national and local volleyball teams under the condition of insufficient state funds, and trying to introduce foreign capital. She made a useful attempt to promote the innovation of sports marketization, just raising funds. It is based on her above-mentioned "achievements" that Zhou Xiaolan was promoted to the position of Deputy Director of the Ball Department of the State Sports Commission in 1994.
On the other hand, the accumulation of women's volleyball in the world series has been faltering for various reasons, which makes the relevant leaders of the Sports Commission face various pressures. Yuan Weimin, deputy director of the State Sports Commission in charge of ball games and former head coach of China women's volleyball team, asked Zhou Xiaolan to hold a press conference to take responsibility for the decline of China women's volleyball team. Although Zhou Xiaolan had a lot of puzzles in his heart, out of his trust in the old coach for many years, Zhou Xiaolan agreed to take responsibility from the overall situation. I tried to solve the dilemma of China women's volleyball team with my own humiliation. However, this move was resolutely opposed by all the staff of China Volleyball Association. Although the press conference could not be held as scheduled, Zhou Xiaolan's work began to encounter difficulties.
1At the beginning of 995, Zhou Xiaolan came forward on behalf of the China Volleyball Association, and made full use of the special relationship of his teammates to mobilize Lang Ping, the former attacking player of women's volleyball who was studying in New Mexico, to return to China as the head coach of women's volleyball. After the holiday, Lang Ping finally replied to Zhou Xiaolan and agreed to return to China. However, Zhou Xiaolan was making all preparations. When the flight arrived, she was suddenly told that Lang Ping's return to China and other related matters had been entrusted by others, and asked Zhou Xiaolan not to ask Lang Ping about his return to China, or even to meet Lang Ping at the airport. Teammates who used to get along with each other day and night and work side by side returned to China, which was also made by themselves. However, Zhou Xiaolan couldn't pick up the plane in person, which made her feel sorry. Amid the cheers of "developing patriotism and revitalizing China women's volleyball team", the stubborn Zhou Xiaolan went to the airport to meet Lang Ping, but Zhou Xiaolan had to make it clear that she came in her own name ... Under such a working atmosphere, Zhou Xiaolan decided to resign. However, the resignation of bureau-level cadres of national ministries and commissions needs the State Council's approval, not to mention that the person who voluntarily resigned is a famous athlete who has made great contributions to China women's volleyball team's five consecutive championships, and the leaders of relevant departments have comforted her many times. I hope Zhou Xiaolan can "stand the test". However, Zhou Xiaolan, who has worked hard in volleyball for more than 20 years, feels that her eight-month career as "deputy director of the Sports Commission" is over. After three months' absence, the relevant departments finally approved her resignation report. Perhaps this is the first case in which a bureau-level cadre of a state organ voluntarily resigned and went home to be a common people. In this sense, Zhou Xiaolan once again "broke the record". Zhou Xiaolan's resignation caused a lot of speculation and association, but she just smiled faintly: the important thing is "affordability", but "letting go" is a relief.
The stars rise here.
From a naughty girl in Taiyuan, Shanxi, to a famous national player of women's volleyball in sports, to a director of international volleyball organizations and a member of the competition Committee of the Asian Volleyball Federation; Zhou Xiaolan's personal career is full of legends, from the deputy director of the Ball Department and the director of the Volleyball Department of the State Sports Commission to the secretary-general of the China Volleyball Association and the chairman of the China Beach Volleyball Association. She attributed it to luck, hard work and opportunities and training given to her by society.
Zhou Xiaolan is not from a sports family. His father is an engineer, his mother is a doctor, and his parents are both southerners. Since the military factory that supported the third-line construction and worked with his father moved to Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province in the 1960s, Zhou Xiaolan was sent to Da Nanping Commune, Gujiao District, in Yunzhong Mountain Range, Shanxi Province with her parents, and went to the fifth grade. In Zhou Xiaolan's memory, Gujiao rural area is a remote place, where there is no traffic and water, and the whole family receives labor education. "Over the past two years, thrifty Zhou Xiaolan also learned to bear hardships and stand hard work. By chance, Zhou Xiaolan stepped into the sports world. Held in Taiyuan on April 1973. 15 years old, Zhou Xiaolan, whose height is 1 m 76, signed up for the high jump and Grenade competition. When the athletes entered the stadium, Zhou Xiaolan, who was tall, attracted the attention of Taiyuan Youth Sports School and was selected into the basketball class of the school. Unfortunately, there are no vacancies in basketball class and volleyball class at this time. In this way, Zhou Xiaolan was temporarily arranged by the junior sports school to practice in the volleyball class, and then changed classes after the basketball class had a quota. Who knows that Zhou Xiaolan is obsessed with volleyball and has embarked on the road of no return for three consecutive championships in women's volleyball. Young Zhou Xiaolan, smart and eager to learn, combines the delicacy of the south with the unrestrained freedom of the north, and makes his debut.
Volleyball, from the city youth sports school, promoted to Taiyuan, Shanxi, China youth volleyball team. The first World Youth Volleyball Championship held in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 65438 to 0977 was a turning point in Zhou Xiaolan's sports career. 1976, in order to find new players in the world and promote the sustainable development of volleyball, the World Volleyball Federation decided to hold the world's first junior volleyball championship on 1977, stipulating that players must be under 20 years old. Zhou Xiaolan recalled that at that time, the women's volleyball team in China and the teams in various provinces and cities were like clouds, but she was not very prominent in comparison. However, due to her age advantage and height of 1 m 82, she was qualified to participate in the first World Youth Championship under the leadership of Deng Ruoceng, the coach of the youth team, and served as the deputy attack of the China Youth Women's Volleyball Team. China youth women's volleyball team won the second place in the first match in Sao Paulo. After returning home, the players returned to their respective teams. However, Zhou Xiaolan was recruited into the national team because of her solid foundation and good psychological quality, and began a difficult and brilliant process of climbing the peak of her career.
From glory to indifference
The "Tiananmen Wall" at that time is still elegant today. Different from the past, Zhou Xiaolan's family life in the United States is similar to the realm of "picking chrysanthemums under the east fence and seeing Nanshan leisurely". Although "wall" and "east" are far apart, their artistic conception is different. Zhou Xiaolan, who fought in the south and fought in the north, has been to many countries.
She also stayed in European countries for several months, but she felt that the humanistic environment in the United States was the most open and practical, and it was also the most suitable for her personality. In the United States, the feeling of living in a foreign land is less, because hometown people can be seen everywhere and hometown dishes can be tasted everywhere. European countries are conservative in style. Although people are polite to you, foreigners will never feel at home. Zhou Xiaolan's family won the right of abode in the United States in less than half a year through the first priority sequence, which opened a new chapter in their family life. After work, Zhou Xiaolan often goes to the local Chinese school to teach children to play ball, or have dinner and chat with friends, and often makes friends with the ball when he is in the mood. The glory of world champions is admirable, but the joy and enrichment of ordinary people are more meaningful.
This is the story we told you about Zhou Xiaolan, a story from Tiananmen Great Wall.