China National Women 's Volleyball Team

**In the beginning...**
It all began in June, 1976, when the new China National Women's Volleyball Team was formed. It wasn't easy, as the world of volleyball was dominated either by the Western teams which were characterized by their power and height, or by the more versatile Eastern teams (e.g. Japan) which are know for their speed and skill.


	But the new team had two features that became important for their later success: Hope and a good coach. Yue Wai Man, 37 at that time, was named the head coach of the team. His unique vision made him realize to be one of the best, you have to learn what makes them the best. Therefore, a unique style combining speed, height, power and skill was developed.

**Best of Asia…**
The first two major competitions for the newly formed CWVT were the 1977 World Cup and the Asian Game in 1978. Although our Chinese ladies only placed the 4th and the 2nd place respectively, the outcomes didn't discourage them a bit. Their hard work finally paid off in 1979 when they participated in the Asian Championship.

During the final of the Championship, China beat Japan 3:1 in the game of 5. Not only did they take away the Gold Championship Cup, they also ended twenty years of being the second best of Asia.

Being the best of Asia was only the first step. Our beloved Chinese ladies knew full well what has been waiting for them next.

**First World Title…**
World Cup 81 was the first big competition since the Moscow Olympics. Boycott by the U.S. and most of the Western Countries, Moscow Olympics were dominated mainly by the Eastern block. World Cup 81 was the perfect chance for the top 8 teams in the world to show how far they had come.

All of the teams had confidence to win the title. When interviewed, the coach of Japanese WVT said China couldn't guarantee not losing to any of the European teams within the same group. However, he claimed Japan can guarantee that before facing China in the last match. Therefore, even if we lose to China, when it comes to calculating the number of sets, we still have a chance to win." While the U.S. coach also said:"We are not afraid of China, we have more experience on International competitions."

One of the most memorable matches was that played against U.S.S.R. Not only did China win the match in 3 straight sets (15:4, 16:14, 15:0), China also only allowed its opponent to get 18 points in total, which was the exactly the number China got three years before when they met the Russians during the World Championship Game


Another match worth mention was one against the U.S. Spectators in the stadium were divided into two halves - the ones who cheered for Lang Ping and the ones who yelled for Hyman, the American who was then No. 1 Spiker in the World from the U.S. Eventually, it's not about which team would win anymore, but rather which spiker could spike harder… At the end, China won the match in 5 sets (3-2). That meant if China could win two more sets in the match with Japan (the last match), they could take away the World Title.

Of course, our beloved Chinese ladies didn't only win two more sets, but the final match as well.

Remember the date: November 16th, 1981. For the first time ever, the flag of the People's Republic of China was placed at the highest point in an award ceremony of an international competition…

Written by: Bernard Chiu
Proof read by: Suspended Soul
Layout: Marian