◎魏國金
Three-time world table tennis champion Zhuang Zedong, a key figure in 1971’s groundbreaking "pingpong diplomacy’’ between China and the United States, died Sunday, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported. He was 72 and had struggled with cancer since 2008.
3屆世界桌球冠軍、1971年中國與美國間開創性的「乒乓外交」關鍵人物莊則棟，週日去世，中國官方新華社報導。他享壽72歲，自2008年以來與癌症奮戰。
Zhuang won fame by presenting a gift to American player Glenn Cowan, who had inadvertently boarded a bus carrying the Chinese team at the World Championships in Nagoya, Japan, in 1971. Zhuang and Cowan were photographed together, creating an international sensation at a time when China and the U.S. were bitter Cold War rivals.
莊則棟因送給美國選手葛倫．科恩禮物而成名，當時科恩在1971年日本名古屋世界桌球錦標賽中，不經意地登上載著中國球隊的巴士。莊與科恩被一起拍下照片，這在中美是冷戰死對頭的當時，引發國際轟動。
Under orders from Chinese leader Mao Zedong, the 15-member American team was then invited to China at the end of the Nagoya championships for an ice-breaking visit. Ten months later, President Richard Nixon made a surprise visit to China, leading to the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1979.
在中國領導人毛澤東的命令下，美國桌球隊15名成員在名古屋錦標賽結束後受邀訪中，進行破冰之行。10個月後，總統尼克森意外訪問中國，進而促成1979年雙方建交。
Zhuang became a favorite of Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing, a member of the notorious Gang of Four, which held sway during the radical turmoil of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. Jiang appointed Zhuang to a number of political posts in the sports ministry. Zhuang came under investigation after the Gang was deposed and Jiang imprisoned following Mao’s death in 1976, and subsequently spent years coaching the provincial team in the northern province of Shanxi.
莊成為毛妻、惡名昭彰的四人幫成員江青的寵兒，四人幫在1966年至1976年文化大革命的極度動盪時期當道。江任命莊擔任體育部的政治要職。1976年毛去世後，四人幫垮台、江入獄，莊則受到調查，隨後他在中國北部的陜西省指導省級球隊數年。
He returned to Beijing in 1985 and coached young players for several years. Zhuang was married twice and had one daughter. （AP）
1985年他回到北京，指導年輕選手幾年，莊結婚2次，有1個女兒。（美聯社）
新聞辭典
sensation︰名詞，此處指轟動、激動。例句︰The news created a sensation.（這則新聞引起轟動。）
bitter rivals︰勢不兩立的對手。例句︰Apple and Samsung are bitter rivals in the tablet and smartphone market.（蘋果與三星在平板電腦與手機市場上是死對頭。）
hold sway︰動詞片語，佔統治地位、有支配力量。例句︰The beliefs which now hold sway may one day be rejected.（現今當道的看法或許有一天會被拋棄。）
文章出處 ：自由時報電子報中英對照新聞
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