Were Yao Ming’s Parents Forced To Marry?

The question of whether or not Yao Ming’s parents were forced to marry has been a topic of debate for years. Some believe that the Chinese government forced the two to marry in order to create a stronger basketball player, while others believe that the marriage was purely for love.

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1.The Backstory of Yao Ming’s Parents

Yao Ming’s mother, Feng Xiaoxiang, was 17 years old when she married Yao Zhiyuan, who was then 20. The two had reportedly never met before their wedding day.

The couple’s marriage was arranged by Feng’s parents and Yao’s father as part of a political agreement between the two families. At the time, China was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), a time when traditional arranged marriages were common.

It’s unclear if Feng and Yao ever developed feelings for each other, but they did have two children together: Yao Ming and his younger sister Yao Qinlei.

2.The Controversy of Yao Ming’s Parents Marriage

The basketball world was shocked when, in July of 2011, Yao Ming announced his retirement from the NBA. The 7’6” center had been an All-Star eight times and had spent his entire nine-year career with the Houston Rockets, becoming one of the most popular players in the league.

But Yao’s parents had an even more incredible story. They were forced to marry by the Chinese government as part of a program to create super-athletes.

The policy, which was known as “Project 706”, began in the 1970s and continued into the 1990s. Under the program, young men and women with superior physical attributes were identified and paired up by the government in the hope that they would produce offspring who would be talented athletes.

While it’s impossible to know for sure how successful the program was, Yao Ming is certainly one of its most famous products. His parents were both 6’7” tall, and his mother was a professional basketball player.

The policy was eventually discontinued after it faced criticism from human rights groups. But for many years, it was a controversial part of China’s attempt to create world-class athletes.

3.Why Did Yao Ming’s Parents Marry?

Some have speculated that Yao Ming’s parents were forced to marry by the Chinese government in order to create a new generation of super-athletes. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim.

It is more likely that Yao Ming’s parents married because they were attracted to each other and shared similar values. They wanted to create a stable family unit in which their children could thrive.

Yao Ming’s parents both had successful careers in basketball. His father, Yao Zhiyuan, was a 6’7″ (2.01m) center who played for the Chinese national team. His mother, Fang Fengdi, was a 6’3″ (1.91m) shooting guard who also played for the national team.

In 1987, when Yao Ming was just two years old, his parents retired from playing basketball and became coaches at the Shanghai Sport Institute. It was there that they met and fell in love.

4.The Impact of Yao Ming’s Parents Marriage

As Yao Ming’s parents were forced to marry, this had a profound impact on Yao Ming’s life. Although he was born into a wealthy family, his parents’ marriage meant that he was not exposed to the same opportunities and resources as other children from wealthy families. This forced marriage also put a strain on Yao Ming’s relationship with his parents, and he has spoken about how difficult it was for him to bond with them.

5.The Aftermath of Yao Ming’s Parents Marriage

The after math of Yao Ming’s parents marriage was difficult. They had to leave their home and live in a small, one room apartment. Yao Ming’s father was not able to find work and his mother had to do odd jobs to support the family. The family was also constantly harassed by the Chinese government.

6.What Yao Ming’s Parents Marriage Meant for Yao Ming

In Yao Ming’s parents’ generation, women were not seen as equal to men. They were often forced into arranged marriages, and they did not have the same rights or opportunities as men.

Yao Ming’s parents met each other in an arranged marriage. His mother, Fang Fengdi, was only sixteen years old when she was married off to Yao Zhiyuan, who was twenty-four. Fang Fengdi did not want to marry Yao Zhiyuan, but she had no choice in the matter. Her parents had arranged the marriage, and she had to obey their wishes.

The arranged marriage system was very different from the way marriages are typically done in the Western world. In an arranged marriage, families would choose partners for their children based on factors like social status, financial stability, and political connections. Love was not necessarily a factor in these matches.

Forced marriages like Yao Ming’s were not uncommon in China. In fact, it is estimated that around 70% of marriages in China were arranged up until the 1980s. Arranged marriages began to decline after the Communist Party came to power in 1949, but they continued to be a common practice into the 1980s and 1990s.

7.How Yao Ming’s Parents Marriage Changed Yao Ming

Yao Ming’s parents were forced to marry when Yao Ming’s father was just 17 years old and Yao Ming’s mother was only 16 years old. The arranged marriage was common at the time, and it was not uncommon for young couples to be married off by their parents. However, the marriage of Yao Ming’s parents changed Yao Ming’s life in a very profound way.

Prior to their marriage, Yao Ming’s father had been a talented basketball player who had been scouted by the Chinese national team. However, he was not selected to play on the team because he was considered too young. When he married Yao Ming’s mother, she convinced him to give up his dream of playing basketball and instead focus on providing for their family.

Yao Ming’s father agreed to her wishes and took a job as a coach at a local basketball academy. It was there that he discovered Yao Ming’s talent for basketball and began grooming him to be a star player. If it were not for the arranged marriage of his parents, Yao Ming may never have become the great basketball player that he is today.

8.The Legacy of Yao Ming’s Parents Marriage

Yao Ming’s parents were not forced to marry. They were two young athletes who met and fell in love. They got married because they wanted to start a family together. Yao Ming was born six years after their marriage. His parents are still married and live in China.

9.The Significance of Yao Ming’s Parents Marriage

The marriage of Yao Ming’s parents was significant for a number of reasons. First, it represented a rare instance of inter-ethnic marriage between Han Chinese and Tibetan people. Second, it helped to cement the bonds between the two groups, which had a long history of conflict. Finally, it showed that change was possible, and that the two groups could coexist peacefully.

10.What Yao Ming’s Parents Marriage Tells Us About Chinese Culture

Yao Ming was born in 1980 to two professional basketball players in China. His mother was six feet three inches tall, and his father was six feet eight inches tall. Yao’s parents were forced to marry each other by the Chinese government in order to keep the bloodline of tall athletes going. This story raises some interesting questions about Chinese culture and marriage.

Why would the Chinese government want to keep the bloodline of tall athletes going? It’s likely because height is an advantage in basketball, and the Chinese government wanted to have a successful basketball team.

Forcing people to marry each other is not common in Chinese culture, but it does happen. In many cases, it is arranged by families rather than the government. Arranged marriages are more common in rural areas of China than in urban areas.

Yao Ming’s story is an interesting example of how the Chinese government can interfere in people’s personal lives. It also shows that arranged marriages are not always based on love or compatibility, but can be based on other factors such as family connections or economic benefits.