I mentioned this on Twitter last month, but am just now finally getting around to posting about it here. Zhou Xunshu, the security-guard-turned-pro-golfer I first wrote about for ESPN.com back in 2007 and whose inspiring story plays prominently in my upcoming book, was featured on CNN in November in a piece about Chongqing (Zhou’s adopted home) entitled “Chicago on the Yangtze.” That was followed by “Getting rich in China’s frontier boomtown,” a related story on CNN.com by Steven Jiang. You can both watch the video and read the story here. (I have also embedded the clip at the end of this post.)
Here’s a taste of Jiang’s story:
Chongqing, China (CNN) — Zhou Xunshu and Yan Qi both grew up in the mountains in southwestern China, but today their hometowns are worlds apart.
Zhou’s home village in a remote corner of Guizhou province remains impoverished.
“Every time I go back, I feel saddened,” said the 37-year-old professional golfer. “It was poor and it’s getting poorer.”
A follow-up television report on CNN that also focuses on Zhou was scheduled to air the following week, but it got pushed back due to coverage of tensions on the Korean Peninsula. If it does make it to TV, I’ll be sure to post it about here.