Rong Guotuan
Encyclopedia
Yung Kuo Tuan commonly known as Rong Guotuan, was a Chinese male table tennis
player. He won men's singles title at the 1959 World Table Tennis Championships
in Dortmund, the first world championship winner representing People's Republic of China
. During the Cultural Revolution
, Yung was framed as "Spy Suspect". He committed suicide on June 20, 1968.
, 1937. Native place of his family was in current Zhuhai
, Guangdong Province
of China
. He had started playing table tennis since his childhood and participated in competitions in Hong Kong as a junior. In 1957, Yung made up his mind to return to China. He won national champion in the following year and was later selected as a member of the national team.
began in Dortmund
, 1959. Chinese men's team faced Hungary at the semifinals of the team compitition. Yung lost to Zoltán Berczik
, the 1958 European champion
, in three games. He defeated Laszlo Foldy but lost to the 1953 World Championships winner Ferenc Sidó
at the eighth team match. The Chinese team was defeated by Hungary, 3–5.
In men's singles competition, Yung recorded 7 straight wins to clinch the men's world champion. He became the first world championship winner after the foundation of the People's Republic of China
. The first table tennis ball Double Happiness (DHS) made in China for international competitions was named after Yung's victory at the Championships and the tenth anniversary of the PRC
's establishment in 1959.
At the 1961 World Table Tennis Championships in Beijing
, Yung helped Chinese men's team won the first team title by defeating Japan and Hungary in the finals. After 1964, he worked as the coach of Chinese women's team. The women's team won their first champion at the 1965 World Championships.
initiated in 1966 made professional
sportsmen are denounced as "sprouts of revisionism
" and the Chinese team were absent from the 1967 World Championships.
YUNG Kuo-Tuan and other members of the national team, Fu Qifang and Jiang Yongning, were placed under house arrest by Red Guards
. They were each condemned on trumped-up charges of spying and subjected to torture and public humiliation. Fu and Jiang committed suicide after sustained periods of detention and torture in 1968. Yung Kuo Tuan hanged himself on June 20 in the same year.
In 1978, the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission
rehabilitate YUNG Kuo-Tuan's honor. In 1987, a bronze statue of Yung Kuo Tuan was built in his homeland, Zhuhai city.
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
player. He won men's singles title at the 1959 World Table Tennis Championships
World Table Tennis Championships
The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
in Dortmund, the first world championship winner representing People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. During the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, Yung was framed as "Spy Suspect". He committed suicide on June 20, 1968.
Early years
Yung Kuo Tuan was born in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, 1937. Native place of his family was in current Zhuhai
Zhuhai
Zhuhai is a prefecture-level city on the southern coast of Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai borders Jiangmen to the northwest, Zhongshan to the north, and Macau to the south. Zhuhai was one of the original Special Economic Zones...
, Guangdong Province
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. He had started playing table tennis since his childhood and participated in competitions in Hong Kong as a junior. In 1957, Yung made up his mind to return to China. He won national champion in the following year and was later selected as a member of the national team.
First world champion of new China
Yung's participation in the World Table Tennis ChampionshipsWorld Table Tennis Championships
The World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
began in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, 1959. Chinese men's team faced Hungary at the semifinals of the team compitition. Yung lost to Zoltán Berczik
Zoltán Berczik
Zoltán Berczik was a Hungarian table tennis player. In the late fifties he was ranked among the best European table tennis players and won, with his athletic play, the first two titles at the Table Tennis European Championships.Berczik was born in Novi Sad. He began his career as a defensive player...
, the 1958 European champion
Table Tennis European Championships
The European Table Tennis Championships were first held in 1958. Between 1958 and 2002, the European Championships were held every two years in the even years. From 2003 they were held in odd years. Since 2008 the tournament has been held annually...
, in three games. He defeated Laszlo Foldy but lost to the 1953 World Championships winner Ferenc Sidó
Ferenc Sido
Ferenc Sidó is a former table tennis player from Hungary. From 1947 to 1961 he won several medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the Table Tennis European Championships and in the World Table Tennis Championships.-References:...
at the eighth team match. The Chinese team was defeated by Hungary, 3–5.
In men's singles competition, Yung recorded 7 straight wins to clinch the men's world champion. He became the first world championship winner after the foundation of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The first table tennis ball Double Happiness (DHS) made in China for international competitions was named after Yung's victory at the Championships and the tenth anniversary of the PRC
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's establishment in 1959.
At the 1961 World Table Tennis Championships in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Yung helped Chinese men's team won the first team title by defeating Japan and Hungary in the finals. After 1964, he worked as the coach of Chinese women's team. The women's team won their first champion at the 1965 World Championships.
Death in Cultural Revolution
The Cultural RevolutionCultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
initiated in 1966 made professional
sportsmen are denounced as "sprouts of revisionism
Revisionism (Marxism)
Within the Marxist movement, the word revisionism is used to refer to various ideas, principles and theories that are based on a significant revision of fundamental Marxist premises. The term is most often used by those Marxists who believe that such revisions are unwarranted and represent a...
" and the Chinese team were absent from the 1967 World Championships.
YUNG Kuo-Tuan and other members of the national team, Fu Qifang and Jiang Yongning, were placed under house arrest by Red Guards
Red Guards (China)
Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China , who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
. They were each condemned on trumped-up charges of spying and subjected to torture and public humiliation. Fu and Jiang committed suicide after sustained periods of detention and torture in 1968. Yung Kuo Tuan hanged himself on June 20 in the same year.
In 1978, the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission
State General Administration of Sports
State General Administration of Sports is the government agency responsible for sports in China. It is subordinate to the State Council. It also administers the All-China Sports Federation and Chinese Olympic Committee. .The agency is led by a director...
rehabilitate YUNG Kuo-Tuan's honor. In 1987, a bronze statue of Yung Kuo Tuan was built in his homeland, Zhuhai city.