July of this year was a special one for the China figure skating community because the head coach of the national figure skating team, Sun Qian, finally fulfilled his long-time wish: bringing the entire Zhang Men team into the national team, from coaches to athletes—leaving no one behind.

How eager was Sun Qian? He didn’t even wait for Zhang Jue’s exam results and urged him to head to Beijing to complete the joining procedures and begin training with the national team.

Head Coach Sun had a good reason: “The season starts in September, and you spent so much time preparing for the college entrance exam. Now, you must work extra hard to make up for the training you missed.”

Not only did Zhang Jue’s head coach Zhang Junbao, assistant coach Shen Liu (responsible for jumps), and skating and spinning coach Lu get brought in, but the three young skaters Cha Hanbuhua, Min Shan, and Jiang Yihong also couldn’t escape.

For athletes, as long as their performance was good, joining the national team was only a matter of time. Both Cha Hanbuhua and Min Shan had excellent results last season. They not only qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Finals in the first half of the season, but they also won medals—silver and bronze, respectively, at the World Junior Championships. Jiang Yihong placed 10th in the national championships for men’s singles, which was quite decent for his age.

So, with a wave of his hand, Sun Qian wanted them all.

Cha Hanbuhua’s mother and brother were delighted that their child had made it to the national team, so they happily packed his luggage and, with the help of some leaders, transferred his student records to Beijing.

Min Shan and Jiang Yihong’s situations were similar. Joining the national team at such a young age was partially due to their talented coaches and senior teammates, but national team resources were far better than the provincial team’s. Training there gave them more hope for success. Even if they retired in the future, they could proudly say: “I was once in the national team,” a rare credential.

The only one from the Zhang Men team who didn’t join was Song Cheng, who retired this year, but that wasn’t a problem. While one person left, Sun Qian managed to recruit a cook from the cafeteria.

Aunt Ning, the provincial team’s nutritionist, was 54 years old and set to retire next year, but she couldn’t resist when Sun Qian offered to send her to the U.S. for advanced training, followed by more persuasion.

Sun had said: “Ning, you’ve earned a doctorate and studied abroad. You’ve invested so much energy and money. Retiring at 55—are you really okay with that? Why not join the national team and keep feeding little Jue until he retires? Look at Coach Lu, he’s 73 and still working.”

Just like that, Aunt Ning was convinced. She said goodbye to her son and daughter-in-law, held her husband’s hand, packed her bags, and headed to Beijing.

Aunt Ning said: “I didn’t want to come at first, but the national team’s offer was too good.”

Although she was already a full-time staff member with social insurance and benefits, continuing with the national team for a few more years would double her retirement pay. Since she was healthy and still able to work, why not make the most of her remaining years by continuing to nurture high-quality athletes?

When this group of people arrived in Beijing, they initially worried about housing. Min Shan’s family had three residences in the city and an office building, so she had no problem. Jiang Yihong’s family was middle-class, with both parents working as private company executives, so with some effort, they could scrape together a down payment for a Beijing apartment, turning it into an investment.

In contrast, Cha Hanbuhua’s family was quite ordinary, and Coach Lu and his wife, along with Aunt Ning and her husband, also needed accommodation.

Sun Qian had prepared for this. The athletes would stay in dormitories, and for the coaches and nutritionist, the team would rent apartments near the training center—at no cost to them.

This year, the figure skating team had plenty of money! Even though no one won a gold medal in Sochi, Zhang Jue’s silver medal had made an even bigger impact than gold.

First, Zhang Jue broke the world record four times in a row. His striking looks triggered a frenzy among fans, the mutual respect between two champions went viral, and the controversial scoring became a hot topic, with all these moments trending online. By the end of the season, he won the World Championship gold, adding two more trending topics.

All this caused sales of Zhang Jue’s posters, hand fans, and little crocodile plush toys to skyrocket, along with hats co-branded with the character Piggy Hero. Zhang Jue’s endorsement fees skyrocketed too. Even though he didn’t accept many new endorsements, he still earned quite a bit, and the Ice and Snow Center also profited from it.

Oh, and when Zhang Jue checked his exam results, he scored 645 points, securing admission to a top 985 university—China University of Agriculture (familiarly known as “China Food University”). This achievement sent him trending once again.

Although many athletes receive special admissions, figure skating was never part of any university’s special recruitment program, and getting into a top university on one’s own merit was completely different from a special admission!

Zhang Jue, excellent in both academics and sports, with impressive strength and good looks, had been elevated to the status of the top male figure skating idol by his fans, and his commercial value was unmatched.

Sun Qian often marveled at how much revenue Zhang Jue had brought in. No wonder so many coaches were desperate to train a star athlete. Before Sochi, figure skating in the country had always been lukewarm. But Zhang Jue’s sudden rise had increased its popularity several times over, bringing more kids into singles skating.

Huang Ying and Guan Lin, the pair skaters, were also high-level athletes. After Sochi, they contributed significantly to the Ice and Snow Center’s earnings too.

After competing at Sochi, Dong Xiaolong was satisfied with his athletic career and felt he had no regrets. He joined the wave of retirements following the Sochi Olympics, spent half a year writing a paper on figure skating, graduated from the China Sports University, and was hired by Beijing’s Yunshang Xing Figure Skating Club as a jumps coach.

Although his personality wasn’t as strong as his senior brothers Zhang Junbao and Shen Liu, Dong was still a disciple of Coach Lu, the Zhang Men grandmaster, and an Olympian, which earned him a decent salary right off the bat. Many parents eager to see their children succeed in skating requested him specifically as their coach.

In August, after discussions between the club’s upper management and the national team, Yunshang Xing’s summer camp participants and coaches were invited to the Shougang Training Center, where they would receive two days of training from national team coaches.

This was Dong Xiaolong’s first time at Shougang, and he looked at the entrance nostalgically, feeling proud.

Ah, indeed, a popular sport is a good thing—even the sign at the entrance seems to shine brighter.

Now mainly coaching women’s singles, Dong was surrounded by several petite, cute girls.

One bolder girl, wearing a pale yellow outfit, grabbed his arm and shook it.

“Coach Dong, will we see Brother Jue today?”

Dong Xiaolong smiled: “Yes, he’s still on summer vacation, and with the season about to start, he should be training here.”

Hearing this, the girls got excited, skipping along as they walked. Not far away, the ice dance coach was giving instructions.

“Saipeng, stop bullying your sister!”

“Saichong, stop crying! I’ve already scolded your brother.”

The group entered Shougang, chattering loudly, and opened the door. On the walls of the hallway hung portraits of key figures from China’s national team history, including head coach and pairs skating master Sun Qian, who revolutionized the village’s throw jump techniques, and the village’s first world champion, former women’s singles leader Chen Zhu, as well as the former top pairs team Jin Meng and Yao Lan.

In addition, a photo of Zhang Jue, China’s top men’s singles skater, and the first athlete from the China to win a gold medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final, World Junior Championships, a silver at the Senior Grand Prix Final, a World Championship gold, and an Olympic silver medal, was also hung on the wall. It captured the moment after he finished his free skate in Sochi, bowing to the audience.

Naturally, photos of Huang Ying and Guan Lin were also displayed, as they were among the few figure skaters who had their pictures hung while still active competitors.

Saipeng, holding his younger sister’s hand, followed the coach, his small, narrow eyes filled with confusion.

“Why aren’t there any pictures of ice dancers?”

“Because no domestic ice dance teams have yet achieved outstanding results on the international stage. Only those with notable achievements are displayed.”

Hearing this, everyone turned and saw that the person speaking was Jiang Chaosheng, the national team’s skating coach. He was also one of the most frequently seen commentators during domestic figure skating broadcasts and an ISU-certified international figure skating judge. Though he didn’t make a show of it, he was a prominent figure in domestic figure skating.

After all, only five people in the country could officiate at A-level competitions, two of whom were in Hong Kong and Taiwan, with only three on the mainland—Jiang Chaosheng being the most senior of them.

He waved cheerfully: “Come on, I’ll take you to the ice rink.”

As they passed through the corridor and approached the rink, the children could already feel the characteristic chill of the ice, and the surrounding temperature began to drop.

When they entered the arena, they saw Cha Hanbuhua being lifted by Shen Liu on a harness, performing a triple axel. Not far away, a pair team was practicing their death spiral, while Jiang Yihong and Min Shan were skating under Coach Lu’s guidance.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jue, whom Dong Xiaolong’s students had been eager to see, was standing by the rink. A few women, who appeared to be in their forties, surrounded him, measuring his arms, shoulders, waist, and legs with rulers, while Francis Miller stood beside him, excitedly discussing something.

Although Zhang Jue wasn’t training at that moment, he remained the center of attention, especially for the young singles skaters, for whom he was a role model.

Jiang Chaosheng smiled gently: “Zhang Jue just finished choreographing three programs with Francis for this season. Those women over there are costume designers, and they’re measuring him for a new costume.”

He crouched slightly, leaning forward with a mysterious look.

“I’ll tell you a little secret: Francis only choreographed Zhang Jue’s short program this year. But his free skate?”

“He choreographed it himself.”

Choreographed it himself?

The children all looked amazed.

While there had been athletes who choreographed their own programs, it was more common in ice dance. Many famous choreographers were former ice dancers themselves.

But in singles skating, where athletes were generally younger and often didn’t even choose their own music, Zhang Jue—at only 17—had not only always picked his own music but now was choreographing his own routines too.

No doubt about it—Brother Jue was amazing, a true “plus” version of himself!

On the other side of the rink, Zhang Jue frowned slightly and said: “I don’t want a green costume. I already had one for April’s Love Story last year. Making another one in the same color feels like I’m repeating myself.”

The lead designer nodded: “Then how about blue? Made with taffeta.”

“Taffeta?”

Zhang Jue blinked curiously: “Can I see what that fabric looks like?”

“Of course. I brought a sample. It’s made of silk, very lightweight, with a smooth texture. It looks like a shiny, reflective shell.”

The designer pulled a piece of fabric from her bag, and Francis eyes lit up: “Jue, this fabric has a natural sheen. If we create a pleated effect, it could resemble a mermaid’s tail or ocean waves—perfect for your free skate music!”

Zhang Jue touched the fabric and looked satisfied.

“Let’s go with this.”

The designer smiled: “But using this fabric will push your costume budget over the team’s allowance again.”

Zhang Jue grinned: “I’ll cover the extra cost myself. Please use this material. Oh, and one more thing…”

The designer chuckled knowingly: “You want more sparkling rhinestones and beads, right?”

Zhang Jue: “How did you know that’s exactly what I was going to say?”

 

 

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