Close-up: Riders at the table tennis table

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, October 5th. Close-up: Riders beside the table tennis table.

Xinhua News Agency reporters Yue Ranran, Su Bin and Li Chunyu

On the morning of the 5th, eight takeaway riders sat quietly at the VIP seats of the Baji Field in Shougang Park, Shijingshan, Beijing, watching the No. 1 stage of the 2026 World Table Tennis Professional League (WTT) China Grand Slam.

They are Meng Shixiang, Zhang Mengmeng, Shen Yibo, Li Xincang, Ji Yueguang, Ji Zhandong, Ma Shuang, and Wu Deman. When their pictures flashed across the big screen, Meng Shixiang subconsciously tugged on his vest, and the five-star red flag on his chest was particularly eye-catching; Ma Shuang smiled and made a fist gesture toward the camera.

From the busy food delivery road to the table tennis table with thunderous applause, Meng Shixiang’s first feeling was: “Watching the game live is completely different from watching it on TV.”

This 46-year-old man from Henan is a Meituan rider from Xicheng District, Beijing. On the evening of June 25, a 14-year-old girl was pulled down by a man who was driving out of his car. This scene happened to be seen by Meng Shixiang who was on the way to deliver food. He stopped the car and warned the man to “leave quickly or I will call the police” and always guarded the girl.

“Although I am just an ordinary rider, I should help anyone who encounters difficulties on the way to deliver bicycles. I am courageous, willing to help others, have a kind heart, have kind thoughts, and practice good deeds. This is what I have followed in my life.” Meng Shixiang said.

Sitting in the stands, he was quickly infected by the atmosphere of the game. When Zhou Qihao fell behind Singaporean player Guo Yong and struggled to catch up, Meng Shixiang said his palms were sweaty. “Continuous self-improvement and self-transcendence are worth learning from this sportsmanship.”

Ma Shuang, sitting next to Meng Shixiang, was also infected by the national table tennis team’s “never abandon, never give up” energy. Zhou Qihao was at a disadvantage, and the fans in the audience shouted his name in unison, which made Ma Shuang’s eyes well up several times. “The whole audience shouted cheers together, which has the power to unite people. I want to bring this power back to work and life.”

As a “post-90s” rider, Ma Shuang has been riding in his spare time for nearly two years. He who usually loves to play table tennis said: “I think what ordinary people can do is to do every little thing well and do the things at hand well. This is the most valuable quality I learned from the national table tennis team.”

In fact, each of the eight riders at the VIP table had their own “matching moment”: Zhang Mengmeng jumped into a glacier in February and held up a woman who fell into the water for nearly 20 minutes; Shen Yibo climbed into a smoking truck and put out the flames in August; Li Xincang accompanied a lost elderly man to find his family on the way to deliver food; Ji Yueguang once put down his order and grabbed a woman who jumped from a bridge… They shuttle through the streets on weekdays and step forward at critical moments. Many of them have been awarded “Beijing Model” and “Pioneer Rider”.