The progress of any sport is inseparable from the innovation of equipment. The glory of table tennis is also inseparable from the transformation of equipment. Just as the racket is the silent companion behind countless accurate returns. From the earliest sheepskin racket to the rubber racket, table tennis has gradually evolved into a global competitive sport. The improvement of table tennis technology and the diversity of playing methods are inseparable from the progress of rackets. It can be said that the development of rackets has witnessed every leap forward in this sport.

The evolution of table tennis rackets (provided by China Table Tennis Museum)

①The content of this article is mainly compiled based on the historical data of Chenggong Table Tennis Factory and page 305 of Volume 5 (Part 1) of Guangzhou Annals.

At the end of the 19th century, with the introduction of Christianity, table tennis quietly took root in Guangzhou. This traditional and open city quickly incorporated this foreign sport into its pulse and gradually promoted the localization process of table tennis equipment.

In 1947, Guangzhou began to produce table tennis rackets. Although the types of rackets at that time were single, those bare rackets made of yellow pine or miscellaneous wood became the entry-level tools for countless table tennis enthusiasts.

After the founding of New China, table tennis in Guangzhou developed rapidly. Schools, factories and various system units organized table tennis teams, and friendly matches were held frequently with high enthusiasm. In 1950, Guangzhou held the first official table tennis competition after the founding of the People's Republic of China-Guangzhou Table Tennis Championship. The enthusiasm of the citizens was unprecedentedly high. This game not only ignited people's love for table tennis, but also gave birth to a breakthrough in racket production technology. In 1951, rackets with sponges and rubber began to be produced in Guangzhou, which marked that Guangzhou's table tennis racket production technology has reached a new level.

In 1956, there were 11 individual handicraftsmen engaged in the production of table tennis boards in Guangzhou, and two table tennis board production cooperatives, Wenlian and Huoli, were established on Longjin Road, Liwan District, with a total of 100 members. However, the production conditions at that time were very difficult, the production sites were scattered and small, the equipment was simple, and there were only a few simple woodworking machines. Most of the processes still required manual operation, using manual presses and charcoal stoves to produce rubber, the rubber reel of the rubber mixing machine was only 40 inches, and each person could only produce 30 boards per day. But it was this spirit of "meticulous craftsmanship, day and night" that laid a solid foundation for the manufacturing process of table tennis rackets in Guangzhou.

In the same year, Hong Kong and Macao table tennis masters Rong Guotuan and others returned to the motherland to participate in the Guangzhou team training. That year, the Guangzhou Sports Committee successively held a series of table tennis events such as the "Unity Cup", "Yuejin Cup", "Victory Cup" and "Triumph Cup" to further promote the popularization and improvement of table tennis. In 1958, in response to the call of the State Sports Commission to "Everyone plays table tennis and strives for the world championship", the Municipal Sports Commission, the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions, the Municipal Education Bureau, the Municipal Youth League Committee and the Municipal Public Security Bureau jointly organized a mass activity of "Ten Thousand People Table Tennis Competition", which set off a new climax of table tennis in Guangzhou. Government agencies, schools, factories, mines and streets launched competitions in an all-round way. More than 3,000 units and 620,000 people participated in the event. The competition was in full swing, and the crisp sound of table tennis hitting the table could often be heard in the streets and alleys. Table tennis has gradually become a part of Guangzhou people's life.

The vigorous development of table tennis in Guangzhou has put forward higher requirements for the demand and quality of table tennis rackets. In order to meet this demand, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Vitality Table Tennis Board Production Cooperative have continuously carried out technological innovation and process improvement to meet the needs of table tennis enthusiasts and athletes.

Rackets produced by the Vitality Rackets Production Cooperative

Rong Guotuan and other famous table tennis players not only fought hard on the court, but also went deep into the production workshop to personally guide the process improvement. Under their suggestions, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Vitality Table Tennis Board Production Cooperative began to use Northeast basswood and pine as the main materials for the board, unified the various technical and process standards of the board in production, and produced boards with moderate weight and beautiful appearance, and overcame the disadvantage of easy deformation.

In 1959, the high-end Nanfang brand high-quality board was created and provided to Rong Guotuan, Liang Lizhen and other national table tennis players and the then famous "Five Tigers" of Guangzhou table tennis Liang Zhuohui, Feng Guohao, Yu Zumian, Hu Zhaoji and Zhong Enrong. In 1963, the Nanfang brand board won the Guangzhou Quality Product Award.

Nanfang brand table tennis racket poster

In 1964, the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Vitality and Wellen Self-Help Society② merged into the People's Ball Club.

In 1966, the People's Cricket Club responded to the government's call and moved from Longjin Road in Liwan District to Paolou Gang (now Yanzigang), Industrial Avenue, Haizhu District, an industrial cluster area in Guangzhou at that time. The newly built factory is equipped with advanced mechanized production equipment, and most manual operations are replaced by machines, which greatly improves production capacity and product quality. The annual output that year reached 1.5 million pairs, and the total industrial output value reached 2.87 million yuan, an increase of 75% over 1965. This series of upgrades and improvements has enabled People's Cricket Club to not only significantly increase its output, but also make significant progress in quality and craftsmanship.

② According to the recollections of the retired leader of the table tennis board factory, the Weilun Self-Help Society was once located in the Eighteen Arhats Temple on Guangfu North Road. The workers in the society were all monks and nuns of the Eighteen Arhats Temple after liberation.

Rubber shaping molds from the 1960s

Hongmian brand table tennis racket (1960s)

In 1968, the People's Badminton Club, Guangzhou Sports Equipment Club, Hongmian Badminton Racket Club and Construction Photographic Club merged to form the Oriental Sporting Goods Cooperative Factory.

Open rubber mixer for producing rubber for tennis rackets in 1968

The handle machine used for bat handle processing in the 1960s

In April 1975, the Oriental Sports Goods Cooperative Factory made a major organizational restructuring and split into three independently operated entities: Guangzhou Oriental Sports Equipment Factory, Guangzhou Table Tennis Board Factory, and Guangzhou Badminton Racket Factory.

In 1979, after operating independently, the Guangzhou Table Tennis Board Factory ushered in a new stage of development. On the basis of the original Nanfang brand bottom board, the factory innovatively used phoenix wood, which greatly improved the hardness and elasticity of the bottom board and adapted to various offensive and defensive playing styles. By 1981, the factory's product range had been enriched to 160 types, covering horizontal rackets, vertical rackets, front and back stickers, single and double-sided and other specifications.

Since the 1980s, the cooperation between the Guangzhou Table Tennis Board Factory and the National Table Tennis Team has become closer. The national men's and women's teams visited the factory and had in-depth exchanges with the table tennis board factory, providing valuable feedback and suggestions for the continuous improvement and innovation of products. World champions Tong Ling③ and Jiang Jialiang④ used Double Fish brand blades and rubbers, achieving great success, making the factory's products famous on the international stage. In 1984, Double Fish and Champion brand blades and rubbers were approved by the International Table Tennis Federation and the State Sports Commission as international and national competition equipment, respectively, and have won the title of high-quality products and the silver medal for export products many times.

National table tennis head coach Xu Shaofa (second from right), world champion Jiang Jialiang (first from left) and teammates are studying how to improve the quality of table tennis rackets at the Guangzhou Table Tennis Bat Factory

③ Tong Ling, won the women's singles and women's team championships at the 36th World Table Tennis Championships, as well as the women's team championships at the 37th and 38th World Table Tennis Championships. She was the youngest world champion in the history of world table tennis, reaching the top of the world at the age of 18. She has been using Double Fish rubber and bottom board since she started practicing.

④ Jiang Jialiang, a native of Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, was a leader of the Chinese table tennis team in the 1980s. He won the men's singles championship at the 5th World Cup Table Tennis Championships in 1984, and won the men's singles championship at the World Table Tennis Championships twice in 1985 and 1987.

1985 Pisces table tennis board with Jiang Jialiang's picture printed on it

Guangzhou Table Tennis Board Factory won honors in the 1980s

From 1986 to 1990, Guangzhou Table Tennis Board Factory carried out a series of technical transformations, added semi-automatic painting and gluing lines, and expanded the factory, with production and sales reaching new highs. In 1989, the factory's total industrial output value reached a historical high, with export output accounting for the majority of sales.

Guangzhou Table Tennis Board Factory in the 1980s

Vulcanization workshop in the 1980s and 1990s

On February 26, 1998, Guangzhou Table Tennis Paddle Factory merged with Oriental Sports Equipment Factory and other factories to form Guangzhou Shuangyu Sports Goods Group Co., Ltd.