‘Hey, Dude!’ China’s Xiaolan Speaks Northridge’s Language On and Off Volleyball Court

One billion Chinese might not care how the Cal State Northridge women’s volleyball team fares next season, as the old joke goes, but at least one might be interested.

Zhou Xiaolan, a reserve middle blocker on China’s gold medal-winning 1984 Olympic women’s volleyball team, worked out this spring with the Lady Matadors.

Zhou, 29, is a guest of CSUN’s China Institute, which oversees an exchange program with several universities in China and is currently playing host to seven Chinese scholars, including Zhou.

Nicknamed “The City Wall of the T’ien An Men Gate,” after a massive stone gate that separates the Imperial City from the Forbidden City in Peking, Zhou established herself as one of the world’s most intimidating blockers as the Chinese emerged as the world’s preeminent women’s volleyball team in the 1980s.

She was a starter on Chinese teams that won the World Cup tournament in 1981 and the world championship in 1982.

Since retiring after the 1984 Olympics, Zhou has been studying to be a master coach at the Shanghai Physical Education Institute.

“She’s showing our coach how the Olympic team was trained,” said Paul Chow, CSUN’s director of international programs.

CSUN Coach Walt Ker is much obliged. He used Zhou as a demonstrator and videotaped her on the court.

“Usually, when she stepped into a drill,” Ker said, “the level stepped up a notch because the girls were very motivated to beat her. . . .

“In terms of being a role model, she’s excellent because she’s so efficient. . . . A picture is worth a thousand words, especially since the words, in this case, are in Chinese.”

Although Zhou didn’t say much on the court, she seemed to learn from the Americans, too.

Said CSUN’s Karen Lontka last month: “We’re trying to help her along with American language. We taught her, ‘Hey, dude,’ and ‘Surf’s up.’ She’s getting it, but it will take a while.”