In February 1999, the famous generals known as the "Condor Heroes" in the Go world held a wedding in Beijing.
On that day, Go celebrities from China, Japan and South Korea gathered together to send their sincere blessings to the newlyweds who had gone through many hardships.
As Chang Hao 's nominal aunt, Zhang Xuan is a full 8 years older than him, and she also had a failed marriage.
The relationship between the two caused huge controversy on the Internet as soon as it was made public. Even Chang Hao's mentor Nie Weiping also expressed opposition.
However, they finally withstood the heavy pressure and joined hands to this day, giving the best reply to the rumors with happiness.
What kind of story is there between Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan? How are their lives going now?
1. First acquaintance at a young age and bonding over chess
In 1986, Chang Hao, who was only 10 years old, was selected into the national youth team and officially embarked on the road of professional chess player.
In December of that year, Chang Hao met 18-year-old Zhang Xuan for the first time.
At that time, Zhang Xuan was already a well-known female chess player in the national team. She had won the women's championship in the "Strait Cup" and won seventh place in the National Player Challenge that year.
Zhang Xuan has also heard a little about Chang Hao, a "prodigy".
When they first met, they played a game of chess. Unexpectedly, this game of chess ended in a draw.
After that, she began to pay attention to this talented boy and often tutored him personally.
Due to the difference in status and age, Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan did not have any sparks during their time in the national youth team.
And their real story begins when Zhang Xuan went to Japan to study.
In 1990, Zhang Xuan won the women's championship in the National Go Individual Competition, and her career reached a new level.
At the same time, she also began to yearn for the world outside Go: "I don't want to be emotionally affected only by winning or losing, I want to have something broader." So, she decided to travel across the ocean to study in Japan.
Zhang Xuan has been away for four or five years. During this period, she also had a brief marriage with Go player Lu Jian.
Unfortunately, due to less time together and more separation, the two finally chose to break up.
After that, Zhang Xuan devoted all her energy to reading and learning chess. Whenever she had time, she would go to the homes of Go master Wu Qingyuan and others to participate in research meetings.
In addition, she also often went to some Go clubs to teach members to play chess. could earn 50,000 yen per game, which was considered a lot of money at the time.
2. Withstand the pressure and finally get married
In 1996, Zhang Xuan ended her study and life in Japan and prepared to return to China.
By coincidence, Chang Hao was selected to participate in the 10th Sino-Japanese Go Tournament . The two people, who had been separated for several years, met again in the Tokyo arena.
Recalling the scene at that time, Zhang Xuan still remembers it fresh: "Since I left the national team, everyone has grown up, but Chang Hao has changed so much that he is almost a different person."
The shy character in my memory The little boy who always calls her "Teacher Zhang" has grown into a handsome young man who is 1.8 meters tall.
In the past few years, Chang Hao's chess skills have also improved greatly, and he has won the championship in heavyweight competitions such as the Paris Youth Championship and the Canadian Yingqi Cup World Super Youth Go Championship.
In Tokyo, Chang Hao defeated Japanese Go players Kobayashi Kaku and Lin Haifeng in a row, causing a sensation at home and abroad.
After the competition, Zhang Xuan also specially invited Chang Hao and accompanying Yu Bin to his home in Shinjuku and held a celebration banquet for them.
The two people who reunited after a long separation have endless topics to talk about.
After seeing Zhang Xuan again, Chang Hao's heart also felt ripples.
Although Zhang Xuan was already twenty-eight years old at the time, she still looked very young and spoke softly.
In the eyes of Chang Hao, who was just beginning to fall in love, Zhang Xuan was not only a respectable teacher, but also a charming woman.
After returning to China, Zhang Xuan no longer had a national team staff and could only rent a house in Beijing.
Due to the long distance, she stayed at the national team training during the day and went back at night.
At that time, Chang Hao lived alone in the dormitory. In his spare time, he often invited Zhang Xuan and other team members to play chess and chat.
As time goes by, the relationship between the two people became familiar.
The extroverted Zhang Xuan is like a ray of sunshine, lighting up Chang Hao's boring life. Zhang Xuan also admired Chang Hao's stability and steadiness.
Unknowingly, the two hearts came together.
Perhaps it is the power of love. After falling in love, the status of Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan has been significantly improved.
Between 1997 and 1998, Zhang Xuan was successfully promoted to eighth-dan, and also won the Baohai Cup World Women's Championship.
Chang Hao also won the Robust Cup, Tianyuan Tournament, CCTV Cup and Go Master Tournament championships consecutively, becoming a leader in the Chinese Go community.
Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan both tacitly kept this relationship secret from the outside world.
However, the paper could not stop the fire after all, and the news of the two people's love eventually spread out, triggering a wave of rumors.
Many netizens said that Zhang Xuan is older and has been divorced once, so she is not a good match for the young and promising Chang Hao.
The leaders of the Chess Academy also made a special trip to talk to the two of them, asking Chang Hao to put his career first.
The pressure of public opinion is not important to Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan, but the opposition of their mentor Nie Weiping and Chang Hao's parents made the two deeply entangled.
In terms of seniority, Chang Hao, who is Nie Weiping's apprentice, is also called Zhang Xuan as his aunt.
According to Zhang Xuan's recollection, "Chang Hao's mother personally called me at that time to persuade me to give up this relationship."
Faced with doubts from all parties, Zhang Xuan was also a little shaken: "We are different in age, experience, and place of birth. Can there really be any results?"
For Chang Hao's future, she finally packed her bags silently , chose to leave.
After Zhang Xuan left, Chang Hao went crazy looking for her everywhere. In just a few days, he became very emaciated and had to stay in bed to recuperate.
Zhang Xuan felt heartbroken after hearing that Chang Hao fell ill.
Although she had already made up her mind to separate from Chang Hao, she still couldn't help but appear in front of Chang Hao.
After seeing Zhang Xuan, Chang Hao held her hand tightly and begged her repeatedly: "Don't leave me!"
Chang Hao's attitude made Zhang Xuan regain his courage: "Others look happy. , It's not necessarily really good. When two people are together, the most important thing is their relationship. "
Just like that, they joined hands again. Seeing that their son and Zhang Xuan were so in love with each other, Chang Hao's parents finally relaxed and acquiesced to the relationship.
In January 1999, Chang Hao formally proposed to Zhang Xuan: "Marry me, as long as the name is justified, no one else will say anything."
Considering that Chang Hao was only 23 years old, Zhang Xuan hesitated: "Should you? Wait another year or two? You are still too young now."
However, Chang Hao answered her: "I have already considered it. What difference does it make if you get married early or late?"
Looking at Chang Hao's firm eyes, Zhang Xuan couldn't bear it. My eyes couldn't help but turn red.
Just like that, without a wedding dress or a ring, the two bought a small home of less than 80 square meters in Beijing, and they made a lifelong commitment.
3. Revitalize your career and live a happy life
After the news of Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan’s marriage came out, they received congratulations from many friends.
The famous Japanese player Koichi Kobayashi who also married a wife 14 years older than him also sent them a congratulatory message and joked that they "copied his own wedding."
However, after getting married, Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan's careers fell into a trough.
As a leading figure in the Chinese Go community, Chang Hao has high hopes of defeating South Korea and winning the world championship.
However, starting in 1998, he fell into the curse of "the second best player in a thousand years" and finished second in the world competition six times in a row, which aroused the dissatisfaction of many Go fans.
At that time, some netizens analyzed the reasons for Chang Hao's repeated failures and believed that early marriage affected his level.
For a time, overwhelming accusations flooded towards Zhang Xuan, and some people said bluntly: "Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan have very strong personalities, and their marriage will definitely break up due to trivial matters in life."
Faced with these accusations, Zhang Xuan still felt uncomfortable at first. Wronged.
Later, she gradually learned to enlighten herself: "When two people are together, they should not only share the joy of success, but also bear failures and setbacks."
She began to learn to curb her fiery personality and work hard to be the person behind Chang Hao. Woman, help him get out of his slump.
Every time Chang Hao comes back from a game, Zhang Xuan will always cook him a large table of dishes.
Chang Hao lost the chess game and was immersed in pain and couldn't get out. Zhang Xuan would comfort him immediately and be his strongest psychological support.
Zhang Xuan handles all kinds of daily affairs at home, from decorating the house to cleaning.
In an interview, Zhang Xuan once said with a smile: "It seems to others that I take care of Chang Hao more, but in fact this is not the case. Due to work reasons, we can't be together often, so in my opinion, these efforts are all A kind of enjoyment. ”
With the support of Zhang Xuan, Chang Hao always maintains a good attitude and continues to work hard on the road of Go.
In the first China-Korea Go Tournament in 2006, he defeated four famous Korean players, An Jo Young, Kim Dong Ye , Cho Hun Hyun, Lee Chang Ho , ending the game with four consecutive victories.
At the beginning of 2007, he finally defeated his old rival Lee Chang-ho in the Samsung Cup and won the second world championship in his career.
At the Samsung Cup award ceremony, Chang Hao said excitedly: "I am really happy to win today. For me, this may be a reward for my perseverance over the years!"
After Chang Hao won the championship, A veteran in the chess world once said with emotion: "A genius chess player like Chang Hao must be supported by a wise wife to become a great player."
Netizens who initially questioned the marriage of Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan have gradually changed their views. Beginning to recognize Zhang Xuan's efforts: "I won't scold you anymore. It seems that you are good at training your husband!"
While their careers were having a good harvest, Chang Hao and his wife also welcomed the fruit of their love - their daughter Chang Yuemin. .
Chang Hao once revealed that "My daughter looks like me, and her personality is as lively and active as my mother."
Although his parents are both Go world champions, Chang Yuemin is not interested in Go at all. Instead, he likes sports and sports. He is proficient in chess, calligraphy, painting, and long-distance swimming.
In an interview, Zhang Xuan once said with a smile: "Soon after the child was born, people around him began to say that we should let her learn to play chess. But we believe that bringing a happy mood to the child is the happiest education. Learn to play chess. Of course there are many benefits, but if the child is not interested, we will not force her. "
In 2017, Chang Hao had a new identity - the coach of the Shanghai Go team.
In December of the same year, he was elected as the vice chairman of China Go Association.
Nowadays, Chang Hao has gradually faded out of the world, leaving more opportunities to young players.
himself spends his main energy on promoting Go culture, often participating in Go activities across the country and giving lectures to amateurs.
In September 2021, Nie Weiping took Chang Hao and his wife and many national Go players into Shenzhen University to play guided chess for the teachers and students of the university.
In early June 2022, Chang Hao was invited to a middle school in Chengdu to share his Go life with the students. During
's speech, he said frankly: "Failure is the normal state of life. Your attitude when encountering failure determines your future development. Just like we need to review the game after playing chess, we must find problems from failure and in the future Don't make the same mistake in the competition."
Chang Hao and Zhang Xuan's marriage was once called "faint" by the media. However, they used their own happiness to prove that this was a "masterstroke", which is really enviable!
References:
Xinhua News Agency "Chang Hao: Started to "get a salary" at the age of ten, won six consecutive world runner-ups and almost collapsed"
Northern Network "The three women around Chang Hao, Zhang Xuan, the prince of girlhood"
Oriental Sports "Chang Hao and his wife talk about their daughter" Blessed and helpless, my daughter just doesn’t like playing Go》
