• Sports

Inside the System That Turned China Into the Most Dominant Divers in the World

9 minute read

Tang Zixuan is five years old, pixie-faced with callused palms. She knows why she will succeed at the sport of diving, just like her hometown heroine Liu Huixia, who will be competing in Rio. “I enjoy eating bitterness,” Tang chirps in her little-girl voice, using a Chinese expression for the ability to endure suffering. Next to her, another diving prodigy at the Huangshi state sports school in central China’s Hubei province interrupts. “I like eating bitterness, too,” she says. “I can do everything by myself.” Yet another pair of five-year-old girls show off their blisters and calluses. Tiny biceps bulge.

The future of China’s Olympic juggernaut diving squad depends on the dedication of undersized athletes like Tang. Cultivated by the state from the moment they are barely out of diapers, these children are funneled into government academies charged with one task: fashioning them into aquatic contortionists who will bring glory to the People’s Republic. From winning just five gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Games, China claimed 51 in Beijing two decades later, the biggest haul of any nation at those Games. Four years ago in London, the Chinese diving team captured six of eight diving gold medals on offer.

(Read More: The Must-Watch Swimming Events in Rio)

In Rio, China’s 13-person squad could well sweep every diving gold. (Hubei province’s Liu did her part Tuesday, winning gold in the synchronized 10 m platform diving event with partner Chen Ruolin.) Such domination of a single sport is surpassed only by China’s own monopoly over table tennis and badminton, in which Chinese athletes captured every single 2012 Olympic gold. This supremacy is a source of pride for a nation still sensitive about how foreign powers once carved-it up. “An athlete without a sense of patriotism can’t go too far,” says Zhu Qingmin, the director of Hubei province’s swimming and diving administration.

The sustained success of the diving team comes as China has softened aspects of its state-run, Soviet-style sports system. The State General Administration of Sport once recruited tens of thousands of children for the sporting cause, no matter what sacrifices were required. At a time of famine and poverty, rural parents saw government-run sports academies, with their well-stocked canteens, as a refuge. But China’s basic needs were met more than a generation ago. And because of the one-child family-planning policy, the nation teems with coddled only children. “In the past, families had more than one child so if the state could raise one kid, parents would be very happy,” says Yao Junying, a gymnastics coach at Huangshi sports school. “But now, most families have just one child so they are reluctant to give their kid over to us completely.” After all, what parent wants their child to grow up like Zou Chunlan, a champion Chinese weightlifter who famously ended up working as a public bathroom attendant because she could barely read? “In the past, if you were a good athlete, you didn’t have to take academic exams,” says Yu Lianming, the coach who scouted Olympic diver Liu. “The old athletes ignored their studies.”

At Huangshi, one of thousands of cogs in the nation’s athletic assembly line where coach Yu now works, most children no longer board at the school. No longer do child athletes have to spend every waking moment pursuing physical perfection. Instead, students live at home and attend academic classes. After normal school is done, the kids come to Huangshi to sweat it out in the 104˚ F (40˚ C) degree heat of the academy’s non-air conditioned gym. Grandparents hover, water bottles, cold towels and smartphone games at the ready. Yu’s husband weaves among the diving students with a long red stick poised behind his back but the kids don’t seem concerned about the threat of corporal punishment. One four-year-old boy in underpants and singlet spends an hour wailing and calling for his mother. She shakes her head from the sidelines. “I don’t expect him to be a national champion,” Tong Yanli says of her bawling son, whose breath emerges in ragged hiccups as he does his stomach crunches. “I just want him to have good health and become a tough boy instead of a spoiled one.”

(Read More: This Team Could Be the Best Story of the Olympics)

But if most of the families have little expectation of Olympic splendor, the school administrators feel ever more pressure in an era of budget cutbacks. In recent years, state sports czars have begun paying attention to the nation’s overall fitness—childhood obesity is on the rise—as opposed to lavishing most funding on the creation of world champions. In the race to claim a smaller pool of government money, Huangshi officials hope the school will profit from its connection to Liu, who is Hubei’s sole representative on the Chinese Olympic diving squad. The accounting is clear: if Liu wins gold in Rio, everyone who had a hand in her success will receive cash from state sport coffers. Huangshi needs the money. The school, which proudly counts Liu as an alumnus, doesn’t even have a pool or diving board for its diving program. Instead, the kids must plunge into foam mattresses and spend weekends commuting to a faraway pool.

Liu, it turns out, never actually attended Huangshi. Instead, the school’s link to the world-champion diver is through Yu, Liu’s old coach. “If Liu Huixia wins this time, I can ask the officials to install a diving board for me,” Yu says. She and her adult daughter, a coach and former elite diver who never quite made it to the Olympic level, have even greater ambitions. “We could open a private diving club,” says Yu, “and use Liu Huixia’s name to promote it.” In the U.S., the land of the Nick Bollettieri tennis academy and Karolyi gymnastics camp, such a business plan sounds natural. But in state-run China, it’s only recently that sports legends have begun to open up their own academies for sports like gymnastics, fencing and snooker.

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Chad le Clos—He snatched gold from Michael Phelps in the 200-m butterfly in 2012 and is hoping to defend it against his archrival.
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2016 London Anniversary Games
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2016 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials - Day 2
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Allyson Felix—In 2004, when Felix was 18 and prepping for her first Olympics, she trained with a teammate who was pushing 30. She swore that would never be her. “And here I am in the same position, probably looking so old to those kids who are training with us,” says Felix. “But I completely get it now. If you love it, why not?” Felix announced herself as one of the world’s great sprinting talents with a silver medal in the 200 m at those 2004 Games, then paid off that promise with another silver and four golds in 2008 and 2012—tying Jackie Joyner-Kersee for the U.S. women’s track medals record. Felix won’t get the chance to win gold in both the 200 m and 400 m in Rio; she missed a 200 spot by 0.01 sec. at the U.S. trials. But a win in either the 400 m or a relay would give Felix the gold-medal record and cement her place in track history. —S.G.
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2016 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials - Day 5
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Ashleigh Johnson—Johnson, a rangy goalkeeper who learned the game at a Miami-area community pool, will be the first black American woman to compete in Olympic water polo. The favored U.S. team owns every major title in the sport.
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Lin Dan—The bad boy of badminton is aiming for his third gold in men’s singles. But “Super Dan,” 32, will face his perennial foe, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, who beat him in April.
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Simone Biles of the U.S competes on the beam during the women's all-round final at the World Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow
Simone Biles, Gymnastics, USA– Expectations are sky-high for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team in Rio, and a key reason is the 4 ft. 8 in. 19-year-old from Texas. Although Biles will be competing in her first Olympics, she’s the hands-down gold medal favorite in the all-around. Among the reasons: she can execute moves too challenging for even her elite rivals, combining rare power, skill and a preternatural comfort in the air. Expect the three-time world all-around champion to add more than a few Olympic medals to her impressive collection.Phil Noble—Reuters
Gwen Jorgensen—A former tax accountant at Ernst & Young, Jorgensen is the only U.S. woman to win back-to-back world titles and is the runaway favorite for gold.
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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce—Usain Bolt may steal Jamaica’s sprinting spotlight, but Fraser-Pryce deserves her due: no woman has won three straight 100-m Olympic golds, a feat Fraser-Pryce can accomplish in Rio.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Track and Field, JamaicaUsain Bolt may steal Jamaica’s sprinting spotlight, but Fraser-Pryce deserves her due: no woman has won three straight 100-m Olympic golds, a feat Fraser-Pryce can accomplish in Rio.David J. Phillip—AP
15th IAAF World Athletics Championships Beijing 2015 - Day Six
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Caster Semenya
Caster Semenya has signed up to play with a South African soccer team.Getty Images
Cate and Bronte Campbell—After swimming together in the London Olympics, the Campbell sisters have their sights set on a more impressive goal in Rio: becoming the first siblings to share the Olympic podium in an individual swimming race. No brother or sister pair has ever done it. But there’s reason to think Cate, 24, and Bronte, 22, have a shot. They earned their country’s two spots in the 100-m freestyle by racing the clock—and each other—to the wall in record time. Cate recorded the fastest time in the world this year, and Bronte clocked a time that bests the U.S. record. Being sisters hasn’t curbed their ambition, both say, although Cate joked to Australian reporters that “sometimes I think I would prefer if we swam a different stroke.” Their mother was a synchronized swimmer and introduced the siblings to the water early, soon after they were born, in Malawi. The girls logged laps in Lake Malawi, in sight of hippos and crocs, before immigrating to Australia in 2001. At the 2015 world champion-ships, the Campbells finished first and third in the 100-m -freestyle. Soon the sisters, who already share a coach and a home, may also share Olympic history. —A.P.
Cate and Bronte Campbell, Swimming, AustraliaAfter swimming together in the London Olympics, the Campbell sisters have their sights set on a more impressive goal in Rio: becoming the first siblings to share the Olympic podium in an individual swimming race. No brother or sister pair has ever done it. But there’s reason to think Cate, 24, and Bronte, 22, have a shot. They earned their country’s two spots in the 100-m freestyle by racing the clock—and each other—to the wall in record time. Cate recorded the fastest time in the world this year, and Bronte clocked a time that bests the U.S. record. Being sisters hasn’t curbed their ambition, both say, although Cate joked to Australian reporters that “sometimes I think I would prefer if we swam a different stroke.” Their mother was a synchronized swimmer and introduced the siblings to the water early, soon after they were born, in Malawi. The girls logged laps in Lake Malawi, in sight of hippos and crocs, before immigrating to Australia in 2001. At the 2015 world champion-ships, the Campbells finished first and third in the 100-m -freestyle. Soon the sisters, who already share a coach and a home, may also share Olympic history. —A.P.Stefan Wermuth—Reuters
Laszlo Cseh—He’s the reigning world champ in the 200-m fly but has yet to earn an Olympic gold. For that to change in Rio, the Hungarian will have to beat Michael Phelps and reigning Olympic champion Chad le Clos to the wall.
Laszlo Cseh, Swimming, HungaryHe’s the reigning world champ in the 200-m fly but has yet to earn an Olympic gold. For that to change in Rio, the Hungarian will have to beat Michael Phelps and reigning Olympic champion Chad le Clos to the wall.Alexander Nemenov—AFP/Getty Images
Sarah Sjostrom—The 100-m-­butterfly favorite is hoping to be the first woman to win an Olympic swimming gold for her country.
Sarah Sjostrom, Swimming, SwedenThe 100-m-­butterfly favorite is hoping to be the first woman to win an Olympic swimming gold for her country.Michael Dalder—Reuters
Adeline Gray—A three-time world champion and daughter of a Denver police officer, Gray, 25, is a favorite to win America’s first-ever gold in women’s wrestling. “Where I feel creative,” she says, “is on the wrestling mat.”
Adeline Gray, Wrestling, USAA three-time world champion and daughter of a Denver police officer, Gray, 25, is a favorite to win America’s first-ever gold in women’s wrestling. “Where I feel creative,” she says, “is on the wrestling mat.” Geoff Burke—USA Today Sports/Reuters
Kayla Harrison—America’s first judo gold medalist, in London, could ­repeat––and may follow ex–training partner Ronda Rousey into MMA.
Kayla Harrison, Judo, USAAmerica’s first judo gold medalist, in London, could ­repeat––and may follow ex–training partner Ronda Rousey into MMA.Felipe Dana—AP
Molly Huddle—Huddle won both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m at U.S. trials, but will only run the 10,000 in Rio, where she could be just the third American woman to medal in that event.
Molly Huddle, Track and Field, USAHuddle won both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m at U.S. trials, but will only run the 10,000 in Rio, where she could be just the third American woman to medal in that event.Christian Petersen—Getty Images
English Gardner—After tearing her knee in a high school powder-­puff-football game, Gardner thought she’d never race again. She’s now the fastest woman in the U.S. and a 100-m threat.
English Gardner, Track and Field, USAAfter tearing her knee in a high school powder-­puff-football game, Gardner thought she’d never race again. She’s now the fastest woman in the U.S. and a 100-m threat.Eduardo Munoz—Reuters
Ren Qian—On Feb. 21, one day after turning 15, Ren Qian walked to the edge of a platform in Rio de Janeiro and plunged the equivalent of a three-story building. Delivering a back 21-2 somersault and a half twist, the young diver slid into the pool with barely a ripple. The judges awarded Ren a perfect 10, cementing her victory in the 10-m platform diving World Cup event and establishing her as the latest in a line of Chinese diving prodigies cultivated by the state. “They must start between the ages of 3 to 4,” says Yu Lianming, who has coached top divers for decades in China’s vast network of state-run sports schools. When Ren returns to Brazil in August, she’ll be the prohibitive favorite in the high dive—and a critical part of a 13--person Chinese squad that has the talent to sweep the Olympic diving golds. (China won all but two in London in 2012.) In a sport in which American women are no threat to medal, the crop-haired athlete’s toughest competition comes from her compatriots. —H.B.
Ren Qian, Diving, ChinaOn Feb. 21, one day after turning 15, Ren Qian walked to the edge of a platform in Rio de Janeiro and plunged the equivalent of a three-story building. Delivering a back 21-2 somersault and a half twist, the young diver slid into the pool with barely a ripple. The judges awarded Ren a perfect 10, cementing her victory in the 10-m platform diving World Cup event and establishing her as the latest in a line of Chinese diving prodigies cultivated by the state. “They must start between the ages of 3 to 4,” says Yu Lianming, who has coached top divers for decades in China’s vast network of state-run sports schools. When Ren returns to Brazil in August, she’ll be the prohibitive favorite in the high dive—and a critical part of a 13--person Chinese squad that has the talent to sweep the Olympic diving golds. (China won all but two in London in 2012.) In a sport in which American women are no threat to medal, the crop-haired athlete’s toughest competition comes from her compatriots. —H.B.Vaughn Ridley—Getty Images
France v Brazil - International Friendly
Neymar, Soccer, BrazilIn Brazil, the pain of the 2014 World Cup still sears. Germany embarrassed the host country, 7-1, in the semi-finals, sparking a national mourning period that hasn’t ended. “We will never forget,” says Rio resident Sergio Duarte. “We cannot forgive.” Winning Brazil’s first-ever Olympic soccer gold won’t erase that hurtful memory. But in this soccer-mad nation, a home-field triumph would go a long way toward purging the ghosts. Much of the burden for that falls on Neymar, the Barcelona star who will be Brazil’s face of the Games. Considered a potential heir to Pelé, he missed the World Cup disgrace with fractured vertebrae. Should he lead Brazil past defending champion Mexico and deliver gold in Rio, it will be more than redemption. Brazil will cheer its favorite game again, and Neymar will solidify his legend. —Sean Gregory Jean Catuffe—Getty Images
Carlin Isles—The former football and track star stumbled across an online video of rugby in 2012 and decided to try the sport. He’s now regarded as the fastest man in the game, which is back in the Olympics after 92 years. Thanks to crossover athletes like Isles and New England Patriot Nate Ebner, the U.S. has a real shot at the podium in the speedier version of the game, known as rugby sevens.
Carlin Isles, Rugby, USAThe former football and track star stumbled across an online video of rugby in 2012 and decided to try the sport. He’s now regarded as the fastest man in the game, which is back in the Olympics after 92 years. Thanks to crossover athletes like Isles and New England Patriot Nate Ebner, the U.S. has a real shot at the podium in the speedier version of the game, known as rugby sevens.Ethan Miller—Getty Images
Billy Besson, Marie Riou—Sailing will debut a mixed event in Rio using a catamaran that seems to fly above the water. The biggest hurdle for this French pair, who have won four straight world titles, may be Rio’s polluted Guanabara Bay.
Billy Besson, Marie Riou, Sailing, FranceSailing will debut a mixed event in Rio using a catamaran that seems to fly above the water. The biggest hurdle for this French pair, who have won four straight world titles, may be Rio’s polluted Guanabara Bay. Mick Anderson—SAILINGPIX/Getty Images
Jordan Burroughs—Wrestling: The Olympics always bring surprises, but the Camden, N.J., native is a safe bet to win a second straight gold: Burroughs is 24-1 in world and Olympic competition.
Jordan Burroughs, Wrestling, USAWrestling: The Olympics always bring surprises, but the Camden, N.J., native is a safe bet to win a second straight gold: Burroughs is 24-1 in world and Olympic competition.Harry How—Getty Images
Sarah Menezes—A gold medalist in London, Menezes could win the home team’s first gold in Rio, inspiring Saturday-­night samba celebrations throughout Brazil.
Sarah Menezes, Judo, BrazilA gold medalist in London, Menezes could win the home team’s first gold in Rio, inspiring Saturday-­night samba celebrations throughout Brazil.Buda Mendes—Getty Images
Sun Yang—The first Chinese man to win Olympic gold in swimming slumped after 2012, falling out with his coach and failing a doping test. But he’s determined to defend his Olympic crowns in the 400-m and 1,500-m freestyle.
Sun Yang, Swimming, ChinaThe first Chinese man to win Olympic gold in swimming slumped after 2012, falling out with his coach and failing a doping test. But he’s determined to defend his Olympic crowns in the 400-m and 1,500-m freestyle.Al Bello—Getty Images
Oksana Chusovitina—At 41, she’s the oldest female Olympic gymnast ever, and she has a team gold and an individual silver medal to show for her six appearances at the Games. Her best chance for more hardware will be in the vault.
Oksana Chusovitina, Gymnastics, UzbekistanAt 41, she’s the oldest female Olympic gymnast ever, and she has a team gold and an individual silver medal to show for her six appearances at the Games. Her best chance for more hardware will be in the vault.Brian Snyder—Reuters
David Boudia—The defending Olympic champ in the 10-m platform almost quit diving but credits his wife and daughter with re-energizing his interest in the sport.
David Boudia, Diving, USAThe defending Olympic champ in the 10-m platform almost quit diving but credits his wife and daughter with re-energizing his interest in the sport.Daniel Ochoa de Olza—AP
Claressa Shields—The Flint, Mich., native won gold in the 165-lb. division in 2012 and is favored to do it again in Rio.
Claressa Shields, Boxing, USAThe Flint, Mich., native won gold in the 165-lb. division in 2012 and is favored to do it again in Rio.Scott Heavey—Getty Images
Kerri Walsh Jennings of the U.S. spikes the ball past April Ross of the U.S. at the women's beach volleyball gold medal match at the Horse Guards Parade
Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, Beach Volleyball, USA Americans Walsh Jennings and her longtime partner Misty May-Treanor won a record three Olympic golds in beach volleyball. But after May-Treanor retired, Walsh Jennings linked up with Ross, whom she beat in the 2012 gold medal match, in her quest for number four. To get it, they’ll have to outplay the elite Brazilians teams of Larissa and Talita, and Barbara and Agatha. The crowds for those matches on Copacabana Beach will be among the most raucous of the entire Games. “I love Brazil’s fans, even if they’re not rooting for me,” Walsh Jennings tells TIME. “They bring out our best.”Marcelo Del Pozo—Reuters
Ibtihaj Muhammad—Muhammad picked up fencing in eighth grade in part because the body-length attire accommodated her Muslim faith. The Duke grad will be the first American Olympian to compete in a hijab.
Ibtihaj Muhammad, Fencing, USAMuhammad picked up fencing in eighth grade in part because the body-length attire accommodated her Muslim faith. The Duke grad will be the first American Olympian to compete in a hijab.Antonio Calanni—AP
Katelin Snyder—The U.S. women’s eight-rowing squad has won every world title and Olympic gold medal since 2006. Snyder, the coxswain, is an Olympic rookie, but she’s guided four U.S. boats to world championships.
Katelin Snyder, Rowing, USAThe U.S. women’s eight-rowing squad has won every world title and Olympic gold medal since 2006. Snyder, the coxswain, is an Olympic rookie, but she’s guided four U.S. boats to world championships.Boris Streubel—Getty Images
Kim Rhode—With a medal in skeet, Rhode, 37, would become the first woman to win medals in six straight Olympics. (Italian luger Armin Zöggeler did it on the men’s side.)
Kim Rhode, Shooting, USAWith a medal in skeet, Rhode, 37, would become the first woman to win medals in six straight Olympics. (Italian luger Armin Zöggeler did it on the men’s side.)Reed Saxon—AP
Shang Chunsong—Sprite like on the uneven bars, she was China’s highest finisher in the all-around at the 2015 world ­championships—placing fourth—and could medal in Rio.
Shang Chunsong, Gymnastics, ChinaSprite like on the uneven bars, she was China’s highest finisher in the all-around at the 2015 world ­championships—placing fourth—and could medal in Rio.Indranil Mukherjee—AFP/Getty Images

One step up the state athletic ladder from Huangshi is the $160 million Hubei Olympic Sports Center in provincial capital Wuhan, where there’s little sign of any budgetary pressure. The complex comes complete with its own food-sourcing system, lest athletes ingest steroid-tainted meat that could lead to failed drug tests. Kids are allowed time on their smartphones; there’s WiFi. Still, even at this breeding ground of champion divers, officials fret about the eight-year gap between Liu’s 2013 world championship performance and the last Hubei diver to also rank No. 1. Provincial swimming and diving director Zhu is skeptical that the new government initiative to bring sports to the masses will ensure China future Olympic glory. “In Japan and Britain, people’s health is good but their competitive sports are only so-so,” he says. “It’s hard to say whether we can keep our top status in competitive sports.”

Of course, the U.S., which won the most gold medals of any country at London 2012, is built on just such a grassroots system. Programs like Little League baseball, youth soccer and tiny tots gymnastics are largely for fun and relatively low-stakes competition, not for the creation of a few hundred champions who labor for the state. But it’s hard for Chinese sports officials to pivot completely to a new system. At the Hubei pool, a 10 m long banner hangs on the wall, reminding everyone of the provincial team’s eight-year dry spell. Endure hardship, revive the Hubei diving team, it reads. At the entrance of the sports complex looms a giant poster of Chairman Mao Zedong, who birthed the state sports system to prove the strength of his new People’s Republic.

Back in the 1980s, Zhu toiled as a coach for the socialist state. His salary? The equivalent of $6 a month in today’s money. Current diving royalty enjoy far richer lives. The state may claim a chunk of athletes’ endorsement contracts in return for years of government-funded training. But diving gold medalists have celebrity status. One such retired diver regularly stars on lucrative reality TV shows. Another married the former Hong Kong Financial Secretary, more than a quarter century her senior. Still another wed the grandson of a Hong Kong tycoon.

Still, the life of a Chinese athlete remains steeped in sacrifice. Wan Shenghong, the head coach of the Hubei diving team and herself a veteran of the national team, suffers from chronically bloodshot eyes, a hazard of years of plunging into pools. Damaged eyesight is common among Chinese divers. In late July, as Liu prepared for the Rio Games at an Olympic training base in southern China, she fell ill with sunstroke and suffered a shoulder injury. Everyone, though, expected her to persevere. A few years ago, when Liu was preparing for a competition, her grandmother died. Her family kept the news from the young diver lest it disturb her training. At the London Olympics, it was only after another diver, Wu Minxia, won yet another gold that her father admitted to her that her grandparents had died and that her mother had struggled for years with cancer. On Sunday in Rio, Wu, 30, and her partner Shi Tingmao won gold in the 3m synchronized springboard event. Wu now ranks as the most decorated female diver in Olympic history.

Feng Ailing is the grandmother of five-year-old Tang, who is the brightest prospect at the Huangshi sports school. Tang, with her bowl cut and dancing eyes, is off to Wuhan soon to train at the provincial diving center. If she succeeds, she may become a stranger to her family. One Hubei diver now on the national diving team admits that she no longer gets to see her parents even once a year. But Tang’s grandmother thinks such distance is worth it. “If you truly support your child,” she says, cradling her granddaughter, “not telling her [about the death of a family member] so she can focus on training is the right thing to do. I’m prepared.” As an adult, she may be. But is this little girl, even if she can eat so much bitterness?

—With reporting by Yang Siqi/Wuhan

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