At the Changqi Cup, reporters interviewed Wang Runan 8p about children and the next generation of Chinese stars. Wang Runan is a former president of the Zhongguo Qiyuan. During his tenure China had great successes on the international scene. Now Wang Runan is a tireless advocate of enjoying Go. (If you search for him, you will find other interviews that have a similar tone.)

The joy of Go: Wanting to help children experience the joy of go

After leaving the presidency of the Zhongguo Qiyuan, it could be said that Wang Runan is bursting with energy, and is now an advocate of the pleasure of Go. Naturally, the interview started on the topic of the joy of Go.

Wang Runan said that Go is not only a mental sport, but is a source of cultivation and is a form of traditional cultural education. For these reasons, many people are Go enthusiasts, seeking enjoyment from the game. Wang Runan also indicated that while teaching children, one should not be focused merely on results, but also on their enjoyment of Go. Children are already under tremendous pressure to study well, and there is no need to add pressure. When studying Go, children do not necessarily make rapid progress and think about becoming a professional. The main idea should be "the joy of Go." By studying Go, children will feel the meaning of Go and experience the enjoyment of playing Go, and this is a good thing.

Changqi Cup: The remarkable success of young players
　　
Talking about this year's Changqi Cup, Wang Runan told reporters: "From the beginning of this term to the semifinals, the young professionals have done very well. The big names such as Chang Hao have not broken through. This demonstrates that the strength of the young players is already nearly equal to that of the top players. This is very good for the development of Chinese Go." Aside from Wang Xi 9p, the other semifinalists have relatively low dan grades: Tuo Jiaxi 3p, Zhou Ruiyang 5p, Wang Yao 6p. With young players causing such a stir in tournaments, how should one look at dan grades? Wang Runan replied, "Thanks to the easy spread of information, young players are able to greatly advance their training. Therefore now, if a player is able to earn 1p, they are immediately able to start assailing strong 9p players. Also, even though annual promotions are limited, these players continue to grow stronger. Their dan grade does not keep pace with their playing strength; this is a common situation. A prominent example is Lee Sedol winning international titles as a 3p."

The 90's generation of players: The new recruits of Chinese Go

With the rapid rise of young players, especially the players born in the 1990's (known as the little leopard generation), what is the status of the Chinese Go world? Wang Runan: this generation of young talent is full of vitality. To break through in tournaments and make their presence known has become a normal thing for this bunch of young players. Furthermore, the 90's generation has already achieved skill levels at the top of the Chinese Go world. This is an important cause for their ability to rise against the older generation. However, these young players still need to hone their skills and enrich their experience in international tournaments." From the perspective of the chairman of Chinese Go Association, who among the little leopard generation of players will emerge to carry the banner of Chinese Go? Wang Runan: "It is too early to determine this, but players such as Tuo Jiaxi, Zhou Ruiyang, Li Zhe, Jiang Weijie, etc. all have the strength and a strong foundation. We will see which player puts in the effort and concentration into Go.

Chinese Go: Still competing with Japan and South Korea
With the rise of the little leopard generation, Chinese Go has a solid foundation. How does this compare to the situation in Japan and South Korea? Wang Runan: "Among China, Japan, and South Korea, Japan still lags behind a bit. Japan has fallen from its former glory. Regarding the top players in China and South Korea, we cannot say that our players surpass Lee Changho and Lee Sedol. However, our advantage lies in having a large group of talented young players. The Chinese Go world is large, and the talent runs deep. With this situation, it is only a matter of time before we surpass South Korea. Of courses, we must be realistic and recognize that South Korea has a large contingent of top players (such as Lee Changho and Lee Sedol) who will continue to play at a high level for a long time, and a new group of Korean stars may emerge in that time.

[Not translated: Questions about the state of Go in Lanzhou and Gansu province. Basically, Gansu is behind cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but is more developed than the western provinces.]

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