Flights of romance

Perhaps due to their frequent air travel, many pro athletes fall in love with flight attendants.

Apart from NBA player Zhou Qi, who on Monday was reported to have married his stewardess girlfriend, many other Chinese hoop stars found true love in the air.

Former national basketball team center Tang Zhengdong met his future wife Wu Jiatong on a flight to a warm-up national team competition in 2010.

“From the first moment I saw her, I knew I had found the love of my life,” said Tang.

In order to have more chances to chat with Wu, Tang repeatedly rang the buzzer to request drinks from her. Before flight landed, he asked for her phone number. They were married in 2011.

An attraction between soccer players and stewardesses is also very common.

China’s former international centerback Fan Zhiyi, who played for Crystal Palace in England, met Li Qian in 1993 during a long flight home with the national team. Fan was suffering from a heavy cold and Li helped care for him.

“I was dizzy, but I remember everything about her on that flight,” said Fan, who asked Li for her name and phone number. Li said she did not watch soccer games or know any players, but they were married in 1995.

Although the marriage didn’t last, many fans think Fan started the trend of love stories between Chinese soccer players and stewardesses. Ma Mingyu, a member of Team China at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, was another one who married a flight attendant.

Zhan Xugang, who won weightlifting gold for China at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, also met his future wife on a flight.