Former Chinese volleyball player Xue Ming, once a rising star, retired early due to heart disease. She tried various fields, lives freely on her own terms, and says marriage is not a must.
During the women’s volleyball tournament at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, a powerful spike landed in the corner of the opponent’s court. Middle blocker Xue Ming stood at the net, her 1.93-meter figure clearly captured by the live broadcast cameras.
Xue Ming was born in Daxing, Beijing, in 1987. Both of her parents had backgrounds in professional sports. Influenced by her family environment, she began systematic training at a volleyball gym in her teens. Through day-after-day practice of passing, spiking, and strength training, and with over a decade of experience under her belt, she quickly made a name for herself in the domestic volleyball scene.At that time, she was widely regarded as the future star of the women’s national volleyball team, and expectations were high that she would lead the team to new heights.
No one could have predicted that at the age of 26—the prime of an athlete’s career—Xue Ming would suddenly suffer a heart-related injury. Following a professional medical evaluation, she was forced to end her professional volleyball career prematurely.Following the typical path taken by most athletes in the industry—applying for a position within a state-affiliated organization to smoothly transition into the latter half of their careers—Xue Ming chose not to follow what many considered a safe and stable path.
After leaving the volleyball court, she tried her hand at several completely different fields: she opened a floral design studio, worked as a professional commentator for volleyball and esports tournaments, obtained a professional racing license, was involved in financial planning, and even ventured into the new business model of live-streamed e-commerce.In her personal life, she was once married to a CCTV producer, but the couple later parted ways amicably. Despite this change, she did not let it bring her down; she spends her days learning to scuba dive and ride motorcycles, and enjoys the company of her pets at home. She only appears in the public eye occasionally when attending volleyball-related events.
Now 39 years old, Xue Ming remains single; she has publicly stated that marriage is not a necessity in life. Having carried the public label of “the most beautiful woman on the women’s volleyball team” for more than a decade, she has not lived up to the expectations the public had for her in her early years, nor has she followed the life path others assumed she would take; instead, she has carved out a life that is entirely her own.
Throughout our lives, we spend most of our time moving forward in accordance with the expectations of others, the advice of our elders, and established norms. It’s only when we reach a certain point and look back that we realize we need to make choices based on our own preferences.
From now on, just follow your heart.
