Nie Weiping, Chinese Go master known for dramatic victory over Japanese rival, dies at 73
The win catapulted him to national icon status and sparked a fever for the board game across China
Nie Weiping, a legendary Go master in China, died in Beijing at the age of 73 on Wednesday.
Nie is best remembered for his dramatic victory in the first Japan-China Super Go in 1985. Few had hope that China would win because its players had long lagged behind Japanese competitors in the strategy board game.
By the time it was Nie’s turn to play in Tokyo, Japan’s top player, Kobayashi Koichi, had already won six straight games against his Chinese counterparts. Nie was the only Chinese player left to face Japan’s three highest ranked players.
Nie became a national hero after he defeated all three rivals and seized the championship after winning the final in Beijing. That same night, the Chinese women’s volleyball team defeated the Japanese team and won the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup in Japan.
The victories sparked spontaneous celebrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square as euphoric crowds took to the streets. The victories were seen as an opportunity to restore national pride as China was emerging from the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, seeking its own identity and starting to open up to the world.
An article published by the state-owned Beijing Daily in 2008 described the mixed feelings when China co-hosted the first Japan-China Super Go from 1984 to 1985.