American table tennis star Lily Zhang is a remarkable athlete with a glittering “resume.’

At just 28 years old, she has claimed six national championships and competed in four Olympic Games, earning widespread acclaim and making her country proud.

However, her success resonates differently with her family, particularly given her Chinese heritage.

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Despite her impressive achievements, Zhang’s parents, who share her Chinese roots, have this to say: “We wanted her to have a normal job.”

Lily Zhang with her parents/ The Wall Street Journal

Born in California to Chinese immigrant parents, Zhang’s achievements are a source of immense national pride.

Yet, her parents’ perspective on her career is strikingly different.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Zhang’s mother, Linda Liu, revealed, “We always try to convince her to stop playing. We just want her to have a normal job. We are traditional Chinese parents. We always want her to focus on school. I always wanted her to get a job and be a regular girl.”

This perspective is particularly poignant given that Liu herself was a table tennis player in China.

Zhang acknowledges her mother’s concerns, reflecting on the uncertainties of a sports career: “There’s so many things that can happen that can take away your stability in an instant.”

Lily Zhang’s childhood

Lily Zhang grew up on the Stanford University campus, where her father was a mathematics professor.

Zhang’s childhood was marked by a blend of scholarly rigour and athletic ambition.

Her mother, a former table tennis player who competed for her province in Xi’an, provided a strong sporting influence.

From the age of seven, Zhang began her professional table tennis training, using the dining table in their modest Palo Alto apartment as her practice arena, as reported by the WSJ.

Her competitive journey started in international events as early as 2007, leading her to numerous accolades throughout her career.

Credit: Instagram

The preference expressed by her parents for her to pursue a traditional job outside of sports mirrors a wider cultural trend observed among many Asians.

For example, during the recent Cricket World Cup, Indian-origin cricketer Saurabh Netravalkar drew attention not just for his on-field performance but also for simultaneously holding a job at Oracle and previously having been a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Cornell University.

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Team USA’s Chinese-origin coach, Jun Gao, insightfully notes, “A lot of Asian parents—this is why you see so many talented players, regardless of gender—once they reach college, they often say goodbye to their sports careers.”

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