Asia Sentinel

Asia Sentinel

No Iron Rice Bowl for China's Athletes

Our Correspondent
Jul 27, 2011
∙ Paid
Share

In the same week that China's Yao Ming landed in Shanghai to announce his retirement from the NBA, China's former "key athlete," Zhang Shangwu, was found begging in a Beijing subway station.

At 5, Zhang Shangwu was shipped off to a training camp for Chinese athletes, to be forged into a top competitor on the still rings. In 2001, the Hebei native was cho…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Asia Sentinel to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Asia Sentinel
Publisher Privacy
Substack
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture