nauknip
11-13-2003, 01:51 AM
With a tinge of rebelliousness, and a desire to stand out - A closeup on a world-class player Xia Xuanze
By Liang Yan
Different people hold different opinions about Xia Xuanze. To his fans, their deepest impression of him is his never-say-die attitude on court and that famous "Big-mouth" smile of his. To his juniors, he is the ever affable big brother. To Wong Choong Hann whom he has defeated 8 times consecutively, he has yet become a crafty opponent. As one of best men's singles players in the Chinese team, Xia Xuanze is always shuttling here and there during tournaments. I could only gather bits and pieces of him between matches to form a charismatic "Big-mouth Xia".
In the eyes of the players and journalists from other countries, Chinese players appear to be very mysterious as the interviews have to be conducted through an appointed interpreter within the team and the answers given are always standard and politically correct. Xia Xuanze was the first one to break the barrier by learning a little English on his own. Although still not very proficient, he would not let go of any opportunity to speak it. Be it in an interview or just chatting with foreign players, as long as he understands, he would try his best to reply in English. After a period of practice, Xia Xuanze has become half an interpreter of the Chinese team. According to Xia himself, he is one who is full of curiosity towards new things. Besides taking part in tournaments, going abroad also enhances his life experiences. He wants to use English as the key to the door of another world. At the same time, he hopes to change the "unapproachable" image of the Chinese players. Therefore, he often takes the initiative to interact with the foreign media and players. "Although I am not as fluent as professional interpreters, I have the sincerity." When he used English to invite American journalists to visit Beijing, and when he boldly questioned the IBF during a press conference, the Chinese journalists all felt a sense of pride in the new generation of Chinese players.
Xia Xuanze was once regarded as the "lei xiaozi" (refers to materialistic and decadent youths) of the team for he would always have a cup of Starbucks coffee in his hand wherever he goes. He is however in any case not one who idolizes western culture. He once mentioned that he enjoys reading books on history and appreciates Yue Fei's "Man Jiang Hong" (loosely translated as River Awashed in Red) most of all, but he could only recite it most expressively and indignantly when he loses a match. It was a pity I did not get a chance to hear him recite it when he won at the World Championships.
When writing about Xia Xuanze's badminton career, Wong Choong Hann is one person that cannot be left out. In their 8 head-to-heads, Xia Xuanze had put the 'big brother' of the Malaysian team to shame. For this reason, Wong Choong Hann considers Xia Xuanze his craftiest opponent. Yet Xia Xuanze remarked with an innocent face, "Look at me. Would you consider me a crafty person?" In contrast to Wong Choong Hann's fear for Xia Xuanze, Xia Xuanze actually feels a little intimidated by some of the defensive players he meets on court. "I had been defeated 4 times by Hendrawan and lost numerous times to Ong Ewe Hock. But I have never been afraid of them. I heard that Wong Choong Hann has already found a way to conquer me, so I really look forward to meeting him in the China Open.
Without question, Xia Xuanze is famous for his self-confidence. When I mentioned that he looked dashing in one of the advertisements he did, he held up his head and went, "But of course! I've been very photogenic all along!"
By Liang Yan
Different people hold different opinions about Xia Xuanze. To his fans, their deepest impression of him is his never-say-die attitude on court and that famous "Big-mouth" smile of his. To his juniors, he is the ever affable big brother. To Wong Choong Hann whom he has defeated 8 times consecutively, he has yet become a crafty opponent. As one of best men's singles players in the Chinese team, Xia Xuanze is always shuttling here and there during tournaments. I could only gather bits and pieces of him between matches to form a charismatic "Big-mouth Xia".
In the eyes of the players and journalists from other countries, Chinese players appear to be very mysterious as the interviews have to be conducted through an appointed interpreter within the team and the answers given are always standard and politically correct. Xia Xuanze was the first one to break the barrier by learning a little English on his own. Although still not very proficient, he would not let go of any opportunity to speak it. Be it in an interview or just chatting with foreign players, as long as he understands, he would try his best to reply in English. After a period of practice, Xia Xuanze has become half an interpreter of the Chinese team. According to Xia himself, he is one who is full of curiosity towards new things. Besides taking part in tournaments, going abroad also enhances his life experiences. He wants to use English as the key to the door of another world. At the same time, he hopes to change the "unapproachable" image of the Chinese players. Therefore, he often takes the initiative to interact with the foreign media and players. "Although I am not as fluent as professional interpreters, I have the sincerity." When he used English to invite American journalists to visit Beijing, and when he boldly questioned the IBF during a press conference, the Chinese journalists all felt a sense of pride in the new generation of Chinese players.
Xia Xuanze was once regarded as the "lei xiaozi" (refers to materialistic and decadent youths) of the team for he would always have a cup of Starbucks coffee in his hand wherever he goes. He is however in any case not one who idolizes western culture. He once mentioned that he enjoys reading books on history and appreciates Yue Fei's "Man Jiang Hong" (loosely translated as River Awashed in Red) most of all, but he could only recite it most expressively and indignantly when he loses a match. It was a pity I did not get a chance to hear him recite it when he won at the World Championships.
When writing about Xia Xuanze's badminton career, Wong Choong Hann is one person that cannot be left out. In their 8 head-to-heads, Xia Xuanze had put the 'big brother' of the Malaysian team to shame. For this reason, Wong Choong Hann considers Xia Xuanze his craftiest opponent. Yet Xia Xuanze remarked with an innocent face, "Look at me. Would you consider me a crafty person?" In contrast to Wong Choong Hann's fear for Xia Xuanze, Xia Xuanze actually feels a little intimidated by some of the defensive players he meets on court. "I had been defeated 4 times by Hendrawan and lost numerous times to Ong Ewe Hock. But I have never been afraid of them. I heard that Wong Choong Hann has already found a way to conquer me, so I really look forward to meeting him in the China Open.
Without question, Xia Xuanze is famous for his self-confidence. When I mentioned that he looked dashing in one of the advertisements he did, he held up his head and went, "But of course! I've been very photogenic all along!"