Go Guangdong Route
Weightlifting Museum→Shilong Sports School
The Shilong Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province，photo provied by 宜居石龙
Shilong Town, located in the northern part of Dongguan City in Guangdong Province, is vital in developing weightlifting in China.
Shilong Town has nurtured weightlifting legends: Chen Jingkai, China's first world-record breaker; Zeng Guoqiang, China's first Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting as well as Ye Haobo, who broke four world records; and Chen Manlin, who broke three. Collectively, Shilong weightlifters have set 19 world records and claimed 29 global titles, cementing Shilong's status as China's “Hometown of Weightlifting.”
In 1956, Chen Jingkai broke the world record in the clean and jerk event during the China–Soviet Union Weightlifting Friendship Tournament, competing in the lightest weight category. His achievement marked China's first entry onto the global weightlifting stage, and signaled the beginning of Shilong's visibility in national and international weightlifting competitions. Photo provied by 东莞日报
Weightlifting Museum: World's first weightlifting-themed museum
Located in the historic center of Shilong Town, the China Weightlifting Museum, is China's highest-level specialized weightlifting museum and the first museum dedicated exclusively to the sport of weightlifting in the world.
The Weightlifting Museum，photo provied by 宜居石龙
The museum, a revitalization project, two historic sites, namely, the Former Shilong Sports School (which nurtured numerous world's champions) and the Shilong Cultural Building. Modern architectural elements blend seamlessly with historic structures, forming a distinctive “museum-within-a-museum” layout. Built atop the original three-story buildings with two additional floors added around and above, this hybrid structure exemplifies the harmonious integration of contemporary architectural techniques and traditional spatial preservation, symbolizing both continuity and innovation in showcasing Chinese sports culture.
“There's no place more familiar to us,” remarked Zhou Xiqiu, President of the Dongguan Weightlifting Association. “Many of the original elements of the old sports school have been preserved. The layout remains unchanged, and even the windows and railings have been restored to their original style. It instantly brings back memories of our time here—of training, of perseverance.”
Covering an area of 12,000 square meters, the museum houses 6,162 exhibits, including key items, such as Chen Jingkai's "Olympic Silver Medal" and "World Record Creator Trophy" as well as 160 sets of champion handprints. Spanning five floors, it features different sections that trace the sport’s cultural evolution through different eras while displaying machines and gym equipment that allow visitors to experience the charm of weightlifting.
The museum is jointly established by the Weightlifting, Wrestling, and Judo Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the China Weightlifting Association, and the Dongguan Municipal Government in Shilong Town.
Fifth floor of the China Weightlifting Museum, Photo provied by 石龙镇融媒体中心
The Olympic Silver Medal of Honor, photo provied by 宜居石龙
Shilong Sports School: The cradle of weightlifting champions
Coach Liu Nuanji and his students, photo provied by 南方都市报
The Shilong Youth Amateur Sports School (Shilong Sports School) has long been a cornerstone of talent cultivation in weightlifting nationwide. In 1956, after Chen Jingkai’s world-record lift, he returned to his hometown and held a public demonstration that ignited local interest in the sport. His elder brother, Chen Zhi, established a weightlifting training class, which eventually evolved into the Shilong Sports School.
Shilong Sports School has been developed into a highly specialized institution and has nurtured athletes who broke world records 19 times and claimed 29 world championships. Over the past decade, it has sent over a dozen athletes to Guangdong’s provincial team, all winning gold medals and securing top-eight team rankings in provincial competitions.
Weightlifting Training Hall of the Shilong Sports School，photo provied by 南方都市报
In the 1960s and 70s, enrolling at the school became a ticket to a fresh start for many Shilong youths—some escaping poverty, others launching toward global fame. By 2003, it had moved to a new campus adjacent to Shilong Sports Stadium, expanding its reach and boosting training capacity.
Among its many notable alumni is Zeng Guoqiang, the first Chinese athlete to win Olympic gold in weightlifting. Born and raised in Shilong, Zeng’s passion for the sport took root early. At the age of ten, he won his first local competition, which caught the attention of coach Lu Peihui. In 1976, he formally joined the Shilong Sports School, beginning a journey that would culminate in Olympic history.
Zeng Guoqiang won Olympic gold in weightlifting (1987)，photo provied by 印象石龙
Principal Lin Siman notes that over 99 percent of current Shilong Sports School students hail from outside the area, mostly from neighboring provinces, with a smaller share from private schools in Dongguan. The school remains a key incubator for new talent: at China's 14th National Games, two Shilong-trained athletes, Zeng Tiantian and Peng Cuiting, made headlines, claiming gold in the women's 64kg division and bronze in the 76kg division.
Reported by Tang Huiting
Edited by Yin Juewen