Case of the faded star
Remember China's Ping Pong diplomacy? Its chief ambassador was Chuang Tse-tung, the three-time world table tennis champion (1961, 1963 and 1965) who is widely acknowledged to be one of the top players of all time. Chuang was dispatched with a Chinese team to the U.S. in 1972, as well as to Japan, Thailand and Malaysia, for the highly publicized matches that signaled Peking's desire to broaden its international ties.
Reports have now reached Hong Kong that Chuang attempted to take his own life in Peking by hanging himself with his belt. The reason: he had come under...