Bond-esliga: Sino-German ties bolstered through sports

While millions across China were making final preparations for their family reunions on Chinese New Year's Eve and the arrival of the Year of the Horse, a different kind of festive celebration was unfolding at the Castello Dusseldorf in Germany.

On Feb 15, China's table tennis superstar Fan Zhendong and his team, 1. FC Saarbrucken, played a Bundesliga away match against Borussia Dusseldorf.

Fan and his teammates took to the court in specially designed red jerseys featuring Chinese-style frog buttons and a prominent gold-embroidered horse.

During the halftime break, teachers and students from the Hanyuan Chinese School in Dusseldorf performed New Year-themed songs in Chinese, with some dressed as giant pandas — a nod to one of China's most beloved animals.

The special arrangements brought a heartwarming festive atmosphere and a taste of home to the many Chinese fans that were among the 3,300-strong crowd.

"The tournament thoughtfully embraced Chinese culture and showed genuine respect for Fan," many fans commented online.

Saarbrucken's signing of the "Grand Slam" paddler in June 2025 has ignited unprecedented enthusiasm for the German club and the three major competitions it plays in, namely the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League.

Ticket inquiries have soared and local hotel bookings have increased, while the club's followers on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo skyrocketed from 10,000 to around 500,000. Even Fan's club jersey has become an instant bestseller.

Meanwhile, broadcast rights for previously niche European table tennis events have become highly sought after on Chinese streaming platforms. For instance, Youku has set up a dedicated Fan Zhendong section, offering live and on-demand coverage of all his Bundesliga and German Cup matches. Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), meanwhile, has acquired the rights for the 2025–26 Bundesliga and German Cup seasons, and has even established a live commentary team for the matches.

Club manager Nicolas Barrois described the response to Fan's arrival as "crazy".

"We can learn a lot from our Chinese colleagues, and this is very important for the entire European table tennis community," said Barrois, who sees Fan's presence as a catalyst for promoting table tennis exchanges between China and Europe.

Off the table, Fan has also been enjoying the simple pleasures of everyday life with his German friends — experiences that would be hard to come by back home, where he is a superstar.

"I think we are very happy to have him in the German League," said legendary German paddler Timo Boll.

"We are good friends, now I can see him more often. We can do a lot of things together, like watching football matches."

Boll also invited Fan to his home to celebrate Christmas Eve together.

"I made many friends in China, and these friendships remain for a lifetime," Boll told Xinhua.

"Their hospitality, empathy, and desire for sports and humanity left a mark on my life."

"I remember the intense care I received in China, and I show my great appreciation by doing the same for him."

Since 1983, when the German national table tennis team first traveled to China, the two countries have maintained long-term exchanges in both training and competition.

Today, many Chinese table tennis coaches and players are active in the German game, working at clubs of different levels, including Saarbrucken's head coach, Wang Zhi.

Table tennis serves as a bridge between Germany and China, said Wolfgang Dorner, CEO of the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB), who joined the delegation accompanying German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on his official visit to China last week.

"If we can tell stories about Chinese players playing in Germany, German players practicing in China — there are so many great stories we can tell to both our people — it will be to the mutual benefit of all of us,"Dorner said.

"Of more than 80 million people in Germany, 16 million are interested in the sport, three million are playing it recreationally, and then there are 500,000 people playing in 10,000 clubs in Germany. We are very much open to establishing new ways of cooperating between our two nations, and establishing youth table tennis camps would be one great idea to start with," he said.

Dorner expressed high hopes for collaboration in youth development and media partnerships.

During the visit, DTTB and the German Football League (DFL) signed separate cooperation agreements with China Media Group, paving the way for collaborations in broadcasting, content and events, further enriching China-Germany cultural exchanges and bilateral relations.

China and Germany share a long history of sporting exchanges.

Beyond table tennis, their cooperation has deepened across multiple disciplines, including soccer and ice hockey. For instance, the Chufeng (young phoenix) charity project, initiated in 2024, selects promising young female soccer players from central and western China for intensive training in Germany.

"Before, when I was training and competing domestically, I thought I was already good and fast. It was only after arriving in Germany that I realized how far I still am from the highest level of international soccer," said Wang Chenxi, one of the program's first beneficiaries.

"The training intensity in Germany is very high. In addition to regular sessions, we have extra fitness drills. During match observations, the foreign coaches constantly analyze tactics with us," she recalled.

This January, Wang was named to the initial training camp roster for the China Under-17 women's national soccer team.