He is a key previous player of China’s national soft hockey team, ranking first in the team’s history in both goals scored and assists. He is also Vice President of the Floorball Club at SUES, as well as a volunteer who traveled to rural villages in Yunnan Province to provide sports lessons for left-behind children. He is Zhang Zhiheng from the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, a young man who measures the arena with his hockey stick and measures his sense of responsibility with his footsteps.
Match against Finland at the World Games
Representing the National Team, Creating “Firsts” in Team History
Wearing the national team jersey, Zhang Zhiheng has delivered an impressive record: 8 goals and 6 assists, both ranking first in the history of China’s national soft hockey team.
Match against Macao at the 2025 Asia-Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) Championship
In the Asia-Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) Championship, during the match against the Hong Kong, China team, he scored three goals and contributed three assists on his own, earning the title of Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match. In games against South Korea, Thailand, and Macao, China, he scored one, one, and two goals respectively, maintaining his outstanding attacking performance throughout the tournament.
China Team MVP after the match against Australia in the 2024 World Championship Qualifiers
Starting from Scratch: The Rise of a “New Club”
After taking off his national team jersey, Zhang Zhiheng found another arena — the floorball court at Shanghai University of Engineering Science. Floorball was still a relatively niche sport on campus, and when the club was first established, it lacked players, equipment, and experience. Starting from scratch, Zhang Zhiheng and the club president built the club framework, recruited members, and arranged training venues. The team members came from different schools and colleges, and most of them had no previous experience with the sport. Zhang took the initiative to lead training sessions, teaching them step by step how to hold the stick, pass the ball, and move into position. He trained with the team several evenings a week, helping everyone improve from basic skills to offensive and defensive coordination.
Second Place in Floorball at the 2024 Shanghai Student Sunshine Sports Grand League (University Division)
After half a semester of dedicated training, this newly formed team represented the university in a municipal-level competition and achieved second place in the Shanghai Student Sunshine Sports Grand League (University Group) Floorball Competition. Zhang described the team’s achievement as incredible, but everyone who trained alongside him knew that there was no miracle behind the success, only countless hours of hard work and perseverance.
Brilliance on the Court, Calmness Under the Desk Lamp
During competitions, Zhang is always the most aggressive player in pursuit of victory. Once the whistle blows, he charges forward with determination. But when he takes off his jersey after the match, that sharp competitive edge quietly fades away.
Keeping up with his academic studies during the training camp
The national team’s training camps and international competitions left little free time, but his academic progress could not be compromised. During overseas competitions, he would sit beside the hotel bed under a dim lamp, spreading out textbooks and notes, patiently catching up on missed coursework bit by bit. The player who had just sprinted across the court with all his strength became a quiet student, accompanied only by the sound of turning pages.
Injuries have also been part of his journey. No one ever told him that he had to push himself this far. It was simply a choice he made himself. He understood clearly that both goals mattered: he had to play well, but he also had to study well. Neither could be abandoned.
Bringing the Power of Sports to Children Deep in the Mountains
Zhang Zhiheng traveled to Ping’an Village Primary School in Jinhe Town, Yunnan Province, where he delivered a psychological group activity course centered on “strengthening the mind through sports” for local left-behind children. He personally donated more than 1,000-yuan worth of soft hockey equipment and organized team competitions on the playground, teaching children how to hold the sticks, pass the ball, and enjoy the sport. During the course, he designed activities focused on resilience and overcoming setbacks, guiding children to release emotions, build confidence, and experience the positive effects of sports in regulating emotions and relieving stress.
Zhang Zhiheng teaches soft hockey to left-behind children
From the spotlight of international competitions to a simple playground deep in the mountains, Zhang Zhiheng makes the transition naturally. He says that sports have taught him far more than how to win a game—they have taught him how to face failure, cooperate with others, and pass his strength on to those who need it.
This is Zhang Zhiheng, a young student of SUES who gives his all both on the field and in life.
