Building Sports in the 1960s

[Pre-release novels: The World's Richest Man in the Millennium and Teaching for China's Rise [1970s]]

In the early years of the People's Republic of China, people, food, and supplies were in short supply everywhere. Assembling teams for various sports became an urgent task.

Many countries had already established their own national teams to compete in the world's three major sporting events. How could we not have a team of our own?

As teams for one sport after another were gradually formed, the official in charge of table tennis was deeply troubled.

These were hard times, and every household needed all the labor it could get. Who would send their child so far away to train in sports?

But then a recommendation letter arrived from a local production team.

It said there was a little girl on their team who could play ball, and play it really well!

The bad news was, her family wouldn't let her go.

/

Another argument broke out in Xiaohu Village, followed by the sound of blows.

The neighbors sighed one after another: That little girl named Zhong Xiao is getting beaten again.

Ever since her grandmother died three years ago, fifteen-year-old Zhong Xiao, who had no parents, hadn't had a single good day after being taken in by her third uncle and aunt.

During the day, she earned work points for the production team. Whenever she had a break, she went home to do all the laundry and cooking, inside and out, and serve her third uncle, aunt, and two male cousins.

Whenever anything at home displeased them, they took it out on her.

But today's cries sounded a little different from usual.

They sounded more like the two sons of her third uncle were the ones wailing.

"You dare hit me? I'm telling Mom!"

"You're dead! I'll get Dad to beat you to death!"...

...The neighbors had no idea.

That day, Zhong Xiao had come from the modern era to the past.

But the good news was,

This was a full-body transmigration!

Her strong, sturdy body and flexible, agile muscle memory were all there!

Zhong Xiao cracked her knuckles and headed home.

You little brats, get ready to die!

She punched her third uncle, kicked her male cousins, and beat up everyone who had bullied her!

Then she picked up her paddle and set about building the sporting world in this early, still-rebuilding era of the People's Republic of China.

/

[Content Notes]:

1. All backgrounds in this story's alternate 1960s are fictional. A group transmigration! An ensemble cast! The male lead makes no secret of his feelings from start to finish and is the heroine's devoted believer, in a non-religious sense. The heroine returns his feelings later on, while focusing on her career in the early and middle portions.

2. Table tennis wasn't added to the Olympics until 1988. Since competitions were too scarce in the 1960s and it would be hard to develop the protagonist's growth arc, I moved its inclusion in the Olympics forward by twenty years to make the career storyline more interesting. Hehe.

3. In the 1960s, there were only major international and regional competitions, not all the commercial tournaments we have today. So this novel focuses mainly on collective life, everyday events, and romance, which make up 60% of the story.

4. This is a novel, not a documentary. The people, places, and stories are entirely fictional and have no connection to reality. Some details may be exaggerated for narrative effect, so readers who like to fact-check may want to steer clear. QAQ.

5. No real-life inspirations! No real-life inspirations! No real-life inspirations!

Theme: Bring glory to the country, and lead by example.