Li Mao and Wu Haili spent decades in their respective Chinese sports and arts fields—one building badminton champions through rigorous training systems, the other performing leading roles in regional theatre—before their intersecting paths of high-level competition, international travel, and domestic perseverance brought them to a quiet retirement in Hangzhou, according to reports published by Sohu.
From Wenzhou Roots to National Prominence
Both figures emerged from the city of Wenzhou during the late 1970s and 1980s, establishing themselves in entirely separate professional domains. Li Mao transitioned from a professional badminton player to a coaching career, eventually taking charge of the Chinese national men’s singles team during the early 1990s when the squad faced an international performance slump. Under his technical leadership, the team developed players such as Dong Jung, Sun Jun, Luo Yigang, and Chen Gang—a group widely known within the sport as the “Four Kings” of Chinese men’s singles badminton. Li helped orchestrate China’s historic Sudirman Cup victory in 1995, followed by successive team titles and an Olympic silver medal won by Dong Jung at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games, according to Sohu.
At the same time, Wu Haili built a prominent career in traditional Chinese opera. Having entered the Wenzhou Yueju Opera Troupe in 1977, she was later selected for the Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yueju Opera Troupe training group as a core member of the generation that pioneered the company. Specializing in Lü-style dan (female roles) with supplementary training in Fu-style vocal techniques, Wu gained national attention for her portrayal of the sharp, ambitious second daughter Yang Shuangtao in the 1984 Changchun Film Studio production of the feature film Five Daughters Offering Felicitations. Her subsequent work included major roles in Han Palace Resentment and Grand View Garden, culminating in a screen performance award at the 1988 National Young Yueju Opera Actors Competition, according to Sohu.
Li Resigns from Chinese Team to Coach Internationally
Domestic success shifted dramatically in 1998 following an internal dispute within the Chinese national badminton team involving coaching staff and management practices. Following an investigation by the table tennis and badminton administration center under the State Sports General Commission, Li chose to submit his resignation, terminating his tenure with the national federation, according to Sohu. In 1999, he accepted an invitation to serve as the head men’s singles coach for the South Korean national badminton team, beginning a 21-year period of international coaching assignments across Asia.
During his overseas tenure, Li applied the rigorous methodology he had refined in China to foreign national programs. His South Korean athletes captured four gold medals at the 2002 Busan Asian Games and defeated the Chinese squad in the 2003 Sudirman Cup final, while Son Seung-mo secured a men’s singles silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics under his guidance. Li subsequently moved to Malaysia, where he coached Lee Chong Wei during the formative stages of the player’s career, before taking up additional coaching appointments in South Korea and Indonesia, according to Sohu. While international badminton fans debated whether a Chinese coach should direct foreign competitors against his home country, Li’s tactical demand remained high among foreign federations seeking elite instruction.
Wu Maintains Her Artistic Career During Family Separation
While Li spent more than two decades traveling between training halls in South Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Wu maintained the household and her artistic career in China. Although she reduced her intensive touring schedule with the theatre troupe to manage family responsibilities, she did not abandon the stage. In 2004, she appeared in productions such as The Scholar’s Unfinished Debt and The Legend of He Wenxiu, and performed an excerpt from 盘妻索妻 alongside Xiao Ya during the China Central Television Lunar New Year opera broadcast, according to Sohu.
The long-distance arrangement persisted until 2019, when the Chinese Badminton Association announced Li’s return to the national setup to assist the men’s singles group ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Operating as an external consultant at age 61, Li helped prepare Chen Long, who secured a men’s singles silver medal at the Tokyo Games, according to Sohu.
Retirement and Current Life in Hangzhou
Following the conclusion of his contract with the national team after the Tokyo Olympics, Li stepped away from international competition and settled in Hangzhou. He occasionally visits training camps to advise younger players while otherwise maintaining a quiet routine. Concurrently, Wu has transitioned away from commercial theatre spotlights toward mentoring younger performers within the regional opera community, passing on decades of stage experience to emerging practitioners, according to Sohu.
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