Famous Chinese Badminton Players

With 666 career wins, including two Olympic and two World Cup golds, Lin Dan is one of the veterans of Chinese badminton. He is the only player to achieve a Super Slam, winning all nine major badminton titles. Known for his fitness and attacking style, Dan retired at 37.

Chen Long is a Chinese competitive badminton player best known for winning a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the men's singles event in Rio de Janeiro. Chen has also won gold medals at World Championships, Asian Games, and Asian Championships. A former world number 1, Chen has also won the Sudirman Cup on five occasions so far.

Former world number one in singles Li Xuerui has 14 Superseries titles in her kitty. She is also a former Olympic gold medalist. Known for her attacking stance, she ruled the badminton scene before an injury at the Rio Olympics interrupted her career. She retired from international badminton in 2019.

Former badminton player Fu Haifeng is known as one of the most successful men’s doubles players in history. Along with partner Cai Yun, he has earned an Olympic gold. The duo is also the only doubles pair with four world titles and was named to BWF's Hall of Fame.

Retired badminton player Xie Xingfang is a former singles number one and a two-time world champion. She has won countless medals, including an Olympic silver, an Asian Games gold, and a World Cup gold. She was also known for her high-profile relationship with badminton sensation Lin Dan.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist, Zhang Nan mostly won games in mixed doubles with his partner Zhao Yunlei. He has won medals in all major events, such as the Sudirman Cup and the Asian Games. Post-retirement, he became a doubles coach and was then made the chairman of the CBA.

Named to the Forbes list of 30 Under 30 in Entertainment and Sports, from Asia, Chen Yufei was inspired to take up badminton while watching the 2008 Olympics as a 10-year-old. Now an Olympic gold medalist herself, she also has tons of other medals in her kitty, including two Sudirman Cup gold medals.

Zhang Ning is a Chinese retired professional badminton player who won the gold medal at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, becoming the only female badminton player to win successive Olympic singles gold medals. A three-time winner at Asian Games, Zhang Ning has also represented China in international competitions like the Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup.

Chinese badminton sensation Shi Yuqi upset champion Lin Dan to reach the finals of the All England Open in 2017 and won the tournament in 2018. In 2016, he won his first French Super Series title. His wins also include a gold at the 2018 Asian Games and the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

Cai Yun is a Chinese retired professional badminton player who specialized in the men's doubles event. A four-time World Championship winner, Cai also won silver and gold medal in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, respectively. Considered the greatest men's doubles player ever, Cai Yun also won six Sudirman Cups and five Thomas Cups during his illustrious playing career.

Xia Xuanze is a Chinese former professional badminton player best known for winning the bronze medal in men's singles at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The 2003 World Championship winner, Xia also has two Thomas Cups and an Asia Championship title under his belt. After retiring as a player, Xia went on to become a coach for the national team.

Wang Shixian is a Chinese former professional badminton player. A former World No. 1, Wang won three gold medals at Asian Games. She also won the Sudirman Cup on three occasions. 

He Bingjiao is a professional badminton player renowned for her performance in the 2015 Asian Junior Championships where she won two gold medals to add to her collection of two other gold medals won at the 2013 and 2014 Asian Junior Championships. Over the course of her career, Bingjiao has also won tournaments like the Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup.

Apart from being a star badminton player, Zhao Yunlei is also a graduate degree holder from the Huazhong University. She created history by becoming the first and only badminton player with 2 Olympic gold medal wins in the same year, winning in both mixed doubles and women’s doubles in 2012.

Huang Yaqiong is a Chinese professional badminton player best known for her achievements in doubles events. After winning the gold medal in the mixed doubles event at the 2018 World Championship, Huang went on to win another gold medal in the same event at the 2019 World Championships. She also has an Asian Championship gold medal under her belt.

Regarded as one of the greatest doubles badminton players of China, Gao Ling is a 2-time Olympic gold medalist and a 4-time world champion. She has also earned an Olympic silver and bronze. She and her partner Huang Sui won a record 6 women’s doubles titles at the All-England Championships.

Li Junhui is a Chinese retired professional badminton player best known for winning the silver medal in men's doubles at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Li, who specializes in doubles, also has two Asian Championships and an Asian Games gold medal under his belt. Li announced his retirement after the Tokyo Olympics.

Once world number 1 in women’s singles, Chinese badminton player Ye Zhaoying has won countless medals, including an Olympic bronze and a World Cup gold. She later excelled in golf, too. She and her husband, footballer Hao Haidong, were removed from all Chinese records for criticizing the Communist Party.

Zheng Siwei is a Chinese professional badminton player who specializes in doubles. He is best known for winning two World Championship titles and two Asian Games gold medals with his partner Huang Yaqiong. Zheng also helped his national team win the 2018 Thomas Cup and the 2019 Sudirman Cup. He won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Chen Qingchen is a Chinese professional badminton player who specializes in doubles. Chen is best known for winning the silver medal in women's doubles at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The 2017 world champion, Chen Qingchen also has two Sudirman Cup gold medals, two Uber Cup gold medals, and an Asian Championship title under her belt.

Retired Chinese badminton player Chen Jin is a former world number 2 and an Olympic bronze medalist. He is also an Asian champion, an Asian Games winner, and a 4-time Thomas Cup winner. He has also served as the women’s singles coach for the Chinese national team.

Retired Chinese badminton player Chen Hong has been an Asian champion and a Sudirman Cup winner. He has also won bronze medals at the World Championship and the Asian Games. A former world number one, he has also scored wins in the Dutch, Denmark, and Singapore Opens.

Two-time Olympian Bao Chunlai is a former left-handed badminton player from China. He was known both for his powerful shots and his 6’3” frame. The former world number one in men’s singles, he was an Asian Games champion and had also earned medals in the World Championships.

Yang Yang began his badminton training at 12 and created history when he became one of only four badminton players to earn two World Badminton Championship titles in the men's singles category. Post-retirement, he focused on coaching and also launched a sports equipment brand in Malaysia and a badminton club in China.

Olympic silver medalist, Asian Games champion, and men’s doubles world champion Liu Yuchen has been one of China’s most popular badminton players. After a successful 9-year stint with the Chinese national badminton team and a hit partnership with Li Junhui, he retired at age 26, leaving the stage for younger players.

Olympic gold medalist and Chinese badminton sensation Yu Yang has won several titles with her doubles partner Du Jing. An Asian and world champion, she was accused of throwing a match away, as part of a match-fixing scandal, and was thus disqualified from the London Olympics. She retired after the controversy.

Chinese badminton player Tian Houwei has several medals in his kitty, including an Asian Games team silver and a Thomas Cup bronze. Though not initially determined to make badminton a career option, he grew serious toward the sport after winning the 2013 Australian Open Grand Prix.

Former world mixed doubles champion and Olympic silver medalist Ma Jin has won several other badminton medals. The ace badminton player surprised her fans by abruptly announcing her retirement from the national team on her social-media page after being with them for 11 years. She later represented her provincial team.