Current situation of 63-year-old Cai Zhenhua: She still spends her time at the stadium after retirement, married an actor as her wife, and her son became his greatest pride

In the long river of Chinese sports, there is a name that almost everyone knows.

When he was young, he was the "little prince of table tennis" who was the most popular on the court; when he was middle-aged, he was an iron-fisted coach and returned to the top with the national table tennis team; later, he became a key figure in the sports management.

He is: Cai Zhenhua.

Some people say that Cai Zhenhua actually only did three things in his life: playing basketball, teaching basketball, and guarding his family.

But these three things have caused him countless controversies, glory and legends.

1. A young man lost his relative: The child who walked out of the shadow

Cai Zhenhua's life started without a smooth start.

In 1961, he was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu and was the third child in his family. Originally, I was cared for by my brothers and sisters, but not long after, fate tricked me one after another.

The sister died due to a misdiagnosis by a doctor, and her brother drowned.

In just a few years, Cai Zhenhua's family "two children died early one after another", his mother fainted from crying, and his father smoked and said nothing at all night.

When he was young, he suddenly lost his closest playmate.

At that time, Cai Zhenhua became taciturn.

Until one day, the friend in the yard called him to play table tennis.

He was just playing casually, but found that the ball felt excellent, and his feel and reaction speed were far superior to his peers.

Neighbor bluntly said: "This child is talented and needs to be sent to a sports school!"

So, 7-year-old Cai Zhenhua was sent to Wuxi Youth Sports School.

The mother was still worried: "Are you tired? If you don't work, come back."

But Cai Zhenhua shook his head: "I think it's very interesting!"

This sentence later became his entire life."

Faced with fate, his only response was to devote himself to it.

2. Young Fame: From a genius player to the "Little Prince of Table Tennis", Cai Zhenhua's talent was soon shown in the game.

After only four months of training, he became the champion of the Wuxi Youth Group.

He won the championship in the province and city competitions.

In the youth arena, he not only plays fiercely, but also looks quite handsome.

Combing her shiny hair and wearing a leather jacket, she is the "table table tennis idol" in the hearts of a generation of female fans. The coach originally planned to let him take the "guarding ball" route, but found that his playing style was sharp, so he decisively changed to "attacking ball".

Facts have proved that this change has made the "angle fast attack king" in the Chinese table tennis world.

In 1978, he was selected for the national team and fought side by side with Jiang Jialiang and Guo Yuehua.

His style of play has distinct characteristics: fast left-handed and forehanded arc circles, and strong psychological quality.

No matter who his opponent is, he will always be steady when he comes on the court and will not be afraid of strong enemies.

In just seven years, he won numerous championships.

In the 1980 Asian Championships, he won the men's team championship, men's doubles runner-up, and mixed doubles third place.

However, just when he was in the limelight, he suddenly chose to retire at the age of 24.

Why?

Some people speculate that he is too impatient and it is difficult to maintain his state for a long time.

Some people also say that he already has a greater mission in his heart: to cultivate a new generation of table tennis forces.

3. Iron-fisted coach: After returning from Italy and leading the national table tennis team to resign, Cai Zhenhua was sent to Italy to coach.

In that strange land, he brought out a group of team members with outstanding achievements.

But when he learned that the Chinese table tennis team's world ranking fell to seventh, he resolutely returned to China with his pregnant wife.

He said: "My motherland has trained me, and I will come back sooner or later." After returning to China, he served as the head coach of the Chinese men's team.

The national table tennis team at that time was in a trough period, losing, losing, losing, and lacking confidence.

Cai Zhenhua takes action with an iron fist:

The reward and punishment are clear: late and fines are fines, and there is a prize for winning.

Rebuild confidence: Losing is not scary, what you are afraid of is not daring to play.

Scientific training: Design tactics based on the characteristics of powerful enemies such as Sweden.

In just five months, a miracle happened.

In the Barcelona team match, the Chinese team swept Sweden 3:0 and returned to the top of the world!

From then on, Cai Zhenhua became famous.

He is the one who can get Chinese table tennis back on its feet.

4. Love chapter: The love between the goddess of Yue Opera Troupe and the iron-fisted coach of Cai Zhenhua is also a good story.

His wife Huang Sheng is a well-known young actor of the Beijing Hongqi Yue Opera Troupe.

The two met for the first time at a commendation meeting.

At that time, Cai Zhenhua was in his prime and in a straight suit, becoming the focus of the audience.

When Huang Sheng went on stage to perform, he couldn't help but look at him secretly with his light.

After the performance, the two accidentally collided and the suit was dyed with makeup powder.

Cai Zhenhua took the opportunity to ask for contact information: "Drinke your clothes for me."

Since then, a good fate has begun.

After the two got married, Huang Sheng resolutely followed Cai Zhenhua to Italy and gave up his great acting career.

After returning to China, she silently stood behind her husband, designed clothes for the table tennis team and took care of her family.

Cai Zhenhua once sighed:

"I am not a good husband because I am too focused on my career. But I am very lucky to have her."

Outside, he is a cold-faced iron fist; at home, he is a model husband, willing to do laundry, cook, and take care of his wife and children.

This affection also earned him the title of "Model Husband".

5. From coaching to politics: success and fame have caused controversy

In the late 1990s, Cai Zhenhua gradually left the front line to coach and entered the management team.

Later, he became the director of the China Table Tennis and Badminton Center and also served as deputy director of the General Administration of Sports of China.

A person who comes from an athlete and a coach can climb to the high position of sports management, is itself a microcosm of the times.

But what follows is controversy.

Some people say that he "managed the army with an iron fist" and cultivated a generation of famous generals such as Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui, which made an indelible contribution.

Some people also questioned that he pursued his grades too much and ignored the psychological pressure of individual players.

Especially in the later sports reforms, the outside world's discussion on his "merits and demerits" has never stopped.

officially retired in 2023, and life after retirement is low-key and fulfilling.

On July 18, 2025, Cai Zhenhua attended the opening ceremony of the "Zhang Jike Cup" National Table Tennis Championship at the Lin'an Sports and Culture Exhibition Center in Hangzhou, and kicked off with Zhang Jike.

At the opening ceremony, Cai Zhenhua also improvised with Zhang Jike. He was tall, had a rosy complexion and full of energy. He was still flexible and powerful when playing basketball and had quick reactions. He could not tell that he was over 60 years old.

6. Family and life: In addition to career, Cai Zhenhua's softest part is family.

His son Cai Yi (later renamed Cai Yida) did not take the path of sports, but entered the entertainment industry and became an actor.

Cai Zhenhua rarely intervenes in his son's choice. He understood:

"Life is not just table tennis, everyone should have their own stage."

Now, 63-year-old Cai Zhenhua has long retired.

But he is still active in the frontline of table tennis promotion.

When he goes to campus and factory, he always plays ball with his children with a smile.

"As long as you have something to love, life will be wonderful."

This is a sentence he often talks about.

7. Conclusion: The old age is getting stronger, and the life of ping-pong

Cai Zhenhua's life can be summarized in "three keywords":

Toughness: a teenager is bereavement, but he uses ping-pong to get out of the shadow.

Iron Fist: Lead the national table tennis team from the trough to turn over and train a new generation of famous players.

Fontful: His wife gave up the stage and he spent his whole life protecting his family.

Perhaps, he is not perfect.

He himself admitted: "It is not a good husband, nor a good father."

But it is precisely because of this reality and contradiction that his life is more three-dimensional and more humane.

When we talk about Cai Zhenhua again, we are talking about not only an athlete or leader, but a Chinese with flesh and blood, responsibility and regrets.