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It's a family affair for young ED

By Sun Xiaochen (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-03-06 07:43

Ed Wang, who sprints and clashes fiercely on the field with his long black hair flowing out of his red-and-blue Bills helmet, spoke softly in fluent Mandarin to everyone he met during his trip to China.

The giant's modesty is the product of a strict family upbringing which used the best aspects of Chinese and American culture, Wang's parents said.

"We raised and educated him with a combination of the Chinese and US way - strict in obeying rules but free in mind," said Ed's father, Robert Wang, who was a high jumper and represented China at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

After living in China for more than 20 years, Robert and his wife, Nancy, emigrated to the US at the end of 1980s and there they learnt how to bring up their son the "right way".

"Parents in China are used to doting on their children and shielding them from any challenge. We preferred to have our kid exposed to that a little bit," said Nancy, who was a national team hurdler.

Ed was taught about hard work and discipline at a young age. He began his physical and strength training when he was only six. And his mother urged him on every day.

"Only after he finished his daily exercises was he allowed to play video games with other kids," Nancy said. "Although he carries our sports gene, he showed no interest in workouts at first.

"Anyway, he was still a kid then, and we knew how to control the balance between his training and playing."

(China Daily 03/06/2011 page8)