Why China’s National Games loom large always, on international badminton

Though TT, diving and volleyball are the absolute top-tier sports in that country, the Chinese National Games tend to be a mighty big deal for Chinese badminton. Provincial rivalries are seriously nurtured and Olympian competition pressures simulated.

But of special significance this year is the keen interest of Korean badminton media, watching hawk-eyed and from a smug distance, how the Chinese will respond to ‘The Situation’, that goes by the name of An Se-young.

Korean Chosun Daily took stock this last week in a report filled with generous gloating, some hyperbole, but not entirely unrealistic. The Korean No. 1 in women’s singles extended her reign to 118 weeks including 56 consecutive ones, after a staggering season with 9 titles.

It’s a sweep that hangs over Shenzhen Arena, hosting badminton, like a mocking mist. Her haul includes two Super 1000s Malaysia Open and All England, 4 Super 750s at India, Japan, Denmark and France, claiming 9 of the 13 Finals contested.

On a weekend that Taiwanese Tai Tzu-ying retires (and her opponents breathe a sigh of relief), Wang Zhi Yi, Han Yue and Chen Yufei will go into battle at Shenzhen, knowing the year’s World Championship went to Akane Yamaguchi, yet the spectre of An Se-young hangs on their heads in women’s singles.

You could forgive the Korean media their gloating gab, that has unearthed (and translated) how Chinese media have been repeatedly criticizing their own coaching staff while highlighting An Se-young’s name, as per Chosun Daily. They quoted from a Chinese outlet Sina Sports: “The Chinese badminton team still does not understand An Se-young. She is already rewriting badminton history. It’s time for Chinese coaches to wake up.” Chosun claimed with a cackle that ‘Luo Yigang, a coach for the Chinese national team, had previously instructed players that “An Se-young is nothing special” and (they should) “keep shaking her to drain her stamina.” However, the results have been disastrous.’

Yigang defeated Lin Dan in the 2001 National Championships, and is known to be technically astute. But the Koreans are running with that tale that allegedly under-estimated Se-young many years ago, even as the Chinese struck back I 2025, like Yufei beating Se-young in the World’s semifinal this year.

This fascinating Korea-China rivalry however spins out lyrical yarn, and these 2025 National Games of China, have offered a merry excuse to stir the pot. Chosun further wrote: ‘The media acknowledged, “The Chinese coaching staff misjudged An Se-young as merely a ‘fast player.’

But her true strength lies in intelligent play and psychological warfare in designing the entire match.” They added, “An Se-young has dominated badminton for over three years, yet China still cannot find a solution.”

China’s leading sports magazine Sohu bluntly stated: “Wang Zhi Yi and Chen Yufei will compete for the women’s singles title at the National Games, but this is ultimately a ‘competition without An Se-young.’ China can only discuss winning in tournaments where An Se-young is absent.”

While Yufei has her Tokyo Olympics title (besides 14-14 H2H with Se-young), the next hope Wang Zhiyi with 4 wins and 15 losses against the Korean, is under immense pressure. “Essentially, the Chinese team collapses whenever they face An Se-young,” Sohu very kindly reminded.

Chosun quoted another Chinese outlet, NetEase, while fearing Se-young was in striking distance of Kento Momota’s 11 season wins record of 2019: “If An Se-young maintains her current form, she could hold the world No.1 ranking for 150 to 200 weeks.” So, even as Chinese shuttlers crescendo at Shenzhen, Se-young could be in Australia to tick off Title No 10, followed by World Tour Finals in December.

But in this sneak peek to what Chinese men’s badminton will unleash in 2026, all the buzz at their National Games is around Jiangsu province (led by Shi Yuqi), rivalling Zhejiang (with Wang Chang), and Beijing (with Liu Yuchen). Chen Yufei and Huang Yaqiong are tasked with taking Zhejiang to glory, while Jia Yifan will battle for Hunan.

Of massive interest to the Chinese is the coming together of Liu Yuchen and Feng Yanzhe for Team Beijing with their training at Shichahai Sports School being extensively covered by media. They are called badminton giants, because both are over 1.9 meters tall, and at the brink of the Covid pandemic at the 2020 Nationals, they razed down all opponents. Liu (30) is world champion from 2018 (one half of Two Towers with Li Junhui) and the National Games is his big ‘comeback reveal’ after going into hibernation where his cardio workouts and diet to lose weight became some sort of apocryphal folklore.

Yanzhe’s net aggression

Feng Yanzhe, 24, a rising star reached Mixed doubles World No 1, though Beijing can’t stop bombasting about his net aggression where he looms and roars.

But the Chinese National Games, as much as it is about unearthing their inward depth since 1959 when they competed in isolation slapped with sanctions, is always also about projecting mighty statements to the rest of the world. China’s advances are always on the Games’ propaganda list, and 2008 Beijing women’s doubles gold medallist Yu Yang was extensively clicked and trending on Weibo, lighting the Games torch ‘Blossom’ after taking bit from humanoid robot, ‘Kuafu’ – described as “the world’s first 5G-A humanoid”, who was the No.0 torchbearer. The first leg in fact was set off at the Lianhuashan Mountain, by physicist Xue Qikun, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Badminton is being closely watched on this intersection of tech and sport, as AI cameras will capture key moments in matches and offer multi-angle viewing options, according to China Daily, attempting to revolutionize Broadcast in a notoriously tough sport to capture on film.

While Exoskeleton robots are expected to become commonplace at these Games, the torch relay going around the country in the last few months, also includes sanitation workers and delivery riders.

The Games tend to be immense with 3200 journalists registered to cover them, and China experimenting with the 15 pointx5 sets format in anticipation of BWF’s new potential scoring system in badminton. Cross-provincial doubles pairings were barred to lift quality of each province. Fleets of air-flights have been plastered with colours of the National Games logo.

But even as Korea gloats over An Se-young in badminton in a subplot, the Chinese are pushing for a bigger launch with cultural heft at the National Games. Yoga might soon have some serious competition.

China intends to revive and bring into competitive focus their ancient exercise equivalent of Baduanjin, as per CGTN. Every culture has it in some form, and though not as complex and deep as yoga, Baduanjin, which translates to “Eight Pieces of Brocade” and performed to soothing music, is more formally packaged alongside Tai chi.

But, a big sports gathering is underway these days only when social media lights up.

Humanoid robots, ancient-coded Taichi variant and Chinese badminton worrying about An Se-young, are all very well. But modern sport rolls on with the trolls.

South China Morning Post announced unprecedented measures to save athletes, coaches and referees at the National Games from doxxing and fan-led smear campaigns that could “disrupt preparations or the smooth operation of events”. Their Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) leads the “Clean and Bright: Online Environment Rectification” campaign, as Chinese badminton stars battle, preparing for headaches that can be bigger than facing An Se-young and wreck mental healths.

China National Games are not on the official badminton calendar. But there’s always plenty of canaries taking off into the coal mines, such is its significance as a testing event.