China's 100th Diving Gold and a "Naturalized" Triumph: The Chinese Benchmark at the Asian Games

The lights of the Nagoya Asian Games had barely dimmed when two numbers emerged for sports fans to digest: the Chinese diving team pushed its all-time Asian Games gold tally to a monumental 100—maintaining an unbroken sweep across 14 consecutive editions since 1974. Meanwhile, the Chinese table tennis team ceded the men’s team gold, fracturing years of unchallenged dominance. One represented a full stop on absolute rule; the other, a hairline crack in a legendary empire. Together, these two storylines assemble the hard-edged reality of "Chinamaxxing": the world's premier athletes now treat beating China as the ultimate defining benchmark of their careers.

Under the 100th Gold: A Duel Pushed to the Final Dive

On September 30, Lian Junjie captured gold in the men's 10m platform final with 501.25 points, completing China's clean sweep of all 10 diving events at these Games and securing the nation’s 100th Asian Games diving gold in history. Fifty-two years, 14 editions, 100 golds—this is not merely statistical dominance, but institutional supremacy.

Lian Junjie celebrates his victory in the Asian Games men's 10m platform final. (Source: Tencent)

Yet, this milestone was hard-won. Japan’s Rikuto Tamai—the Paris Olympic silver medalist—stayed hot on his heels with a score of 497.20. It was only after Lian executed his final dive that the winning margin settled at a razor-thin 4.05 points. It marked the Chinese diving team's narrowest victory of the Games and a vivid testament to how rapidly Asian men's diving is closing the gap: three years ago at the Hangzhou Asian Games, China won the same event by over 20 points; now, that cushion has shrunk to just four. Rivals have long treated this Asian Games final as their ultimate showdown—a reality that is, in itself, the highest tribute to the Chinese standard.

Japanese diver Rikuto Tamai in action during the final. (Source: Xinhua)

The women's 10m platform remained uncontested turf for China. On Chen Yuxi's fourth dive—a 207C—four out of seven judges awarded perfect 10s, earning her 97.35 points on a single dive and a total of 432.65. Finishing over 47 points ahead of the silver medalist, she secured China's 14th consecutive Asian Games title in the event. Silver medalist Lu Wei’s journey reads like an internal chronicle of Chinese sports: after winning World Championship gold in 2019, she faded from international rosters while navigating the physical hurdles of adolescent development and the meteoric rise of prodigies like Quan Hongchan. She resurfaced with two silvers at the 2025 National Games before completing her redemption arc in Nagoya with one gold and one silver. What makes Chinese diving formidable is not a single prodigy, but the inexhaustible pipeline of elite talent standing behind her.

Chen Yuxi clinches gold in the women's 10m platform. (Source: Chinese National Team Official Poster)

Table Tennis: Between Cracks and Counterattacks

The narrative on the table tennis court proved far more complex. In the men's team final, China suffered a rare defeat against Japan, surrendering the team title. Yet the national squad launched an immediate counteroffensive, sweeping the remaining six gold medals and locking up both gold and silver in women's singles, men's singles, and mixed doubles. In the men's singles final, 21-year-old Lin Shidong swept teammate Wang Chuqin 4-0, finishing the Games with three golds and one silver as the top performer. In the women's singles final, Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha battled through a thrilling six-game thriller; tied at 13-13 in the sixth game, Wang held her nerve to seal the title at 15-13.

Wang Manyu (in green) defeats teammate Sun Yingsha to win the Asian Games women's singles table tennis gold. (Source: Xinhua)

The bittersweet realities of a generational shift were evident among the veterans. Playing through injury and leaving with three silvers, Wang Chuqin reflected post-match: "I feel this might be my final Asian Games." Sun Yingsha similarly acknowledged her physical and mental fatigue: "Nagoya might be my last Asian Games. Five years is a very long time."

The Ultimate "Chinamaxxer" Sits Across the Net

When discussing "Chinamaxxing," the most striking case at the Nagoya Games was Tomokazu Harimoto, the driving force behind Japan's men's team triumph. The player who defeated Wang Chuqin 3-0 in the team final was born in Chengdu in 2003 to parents who were both former Chinese table tennis players. His family naturalized as Japanese citizens in 2014, adopting the surname Harimoto. Harimoto and his younger sister, Miwa Harimoto, embody a fascinating paradox: to defeat China, the most effective blueprint remains adopting Chinese-style training and mastering Chinese techniques from childhood. Japan's men's team gold served as the ultimate nod to China's table tennis ecosystem—using China's own playbook to score a decisive blow.

Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto (left) defeats China's Wang Chuqin 3-0 on September 24. (Source: Xinhua)

The Benchmark as the Ultimate Power

Reflecting on the 100th gold, Lian Junjie noted: "For this hundredth gold, I must thank the team and the relentless fighting spirit of our predecessors—they passed this sense of mission down to us."

His words articulate the full scope of Chinamaxxing: on one end lies the training, talent selection, and legacy system China built over five decades; on the other lies a global field of competitors using China as their ultimate reference point. When rivals define their entire careers by "beating China" and view Chinese techniques as essential skills to master, the influence of Chinese sports has transcended medal tallies. One hundred golds is the milestone; setting the global benchmark is the essence. And once a benchmark becomes universally accepted, that is true "maxxing."

Chinamaxxing

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In the past, a weekend getaway to Shenzhen for Hong Kong residents meant a simple schedule of dining, shopping, and entertainment. Over the past two years, however, a futuristic ritual has joined the itinerary: standing near Futian Port or Lianhuashan Park, watching a drone steadily hover downward to deliver a freshly brewed coffee or a hot KFC meal directly into an automated drop-off locker. Behind this "coffee from the sky" lies a booming, trillion-yuan sector—the low-altitude economy.

Shenzhen: Russian Tourists Marvel as "Coffee Comes from Heaven"

In February 2026, two Russian tourists tried drone-delivered takeaway for the first time at Shenzhen's Lianhuashan Park. As their hot coffee descended smoothly from above, they gasped in Chinese, calling the experience "awesome" (lihai) and exclaiming in delight, "Coffee came from heaven to us!"

The maiden drone delivery route opens at Lianhuashan Park, delivering "aerial takeaway" in as little as 7 minutes. (Source: Shenzhen Economic Daily)

 This is far from a novelty gimmick. To date, Meituan Drone has launched over 60 commercial delivery routes in Shenzhen, completing more than 1 million deliveries across office towers, residential neighborhoods, scenic hotspots, public parks, and university campuses. During the summer of 2026, Shenzhen experienced a surge in international visitors seeking "cool tech escapes," with drone food delivery becoming a top viral bucket-list experience for foreign tourists.

A Meituan drone making a takeaway delivery in Shenzhen. (Source: Meituan Official Photo)

For Hong Kong travelers, the real game-changer arrived in October 2024 with the launch of the Futian Port route—Mainland China's first regular drone delivery corridor operating within a border checkpoint area. Hong Kong residents can order via their local phone numbers and pay seamlessly in HKD using WeChat Pay HK. During its initial launch, nearly half of all daily orders originated from Hong Kong commuters. Yan Yan, head of public affairs at Meituan Drone, explained that Futian Port sees hundreds of thousands of cross-border travelers daily. Finding a delivery rider in such dense crowds was notoriously difficult; drone delivery slashes waiting times by nearly 30 minutes.

A delivery drone maneuvers past the Futian Port complex. (Source: Meituan Official Photo)

Citizens collecting their orders at a drone smart locker near the border checkpoint. (Source: Meituan Official Photo)

 Shenzhen's Technological Edge: Manufacturing 70% of the World's Consumer Drones

Shenzhen's title as the "Drone Capital of the World" is well-earned. The city manufactures 70% of the global consumer drone market and nearly 50% of industrial drones, hosting a dense ecosystem of over 1,900 companies related to the low-altitude economy. In 2025, the total output value of China's civil drone industry reached RMB 176.1 billion, a year-on-year surge of approximately 20%. Data from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) projects the low-altitude economy market to eclipse RMB 1 trillion in 2026 and hit RMB 3.5 trillion by 2035.

Cross-Border Air Corridors: Shekou to Tuen Mun in Just 10 Minutes

What matters most to Hong Kong is the impending "aerial logistics mesh" linking Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Phongwing Technology, a subsidiary of logistics giant SF Express, is advancing plans for a cross-border flight route connecting Shenzhen's Shekou directly to Hong Kong's Tuen Mun, cutting transit time to a mere 10 minutes. Concurrently, Hong Kong's Transport and Logistics Bureau confirmed in a response to the Yuen Long District Council that the government is actively consulting mainland authorities on flight path planning and customs clearance to launch cross-border drone trial flights as soon as possible.

Hong Kong's Low-Altitude Sector Takes Off

On the regulatory front, Hong Kong officially launched its low-altitude economy "regulatory sandbox" in March 2025. Out of the first batch of 38 approved trial projects, 32 are actively testing across more than 50 designated flight paths. Notably, Meituan Drone completed its inaugural trial delivery at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). In June, Pizza Hut's Science Park branch pioneered a commercial trial route delivering meals across the harbor to the Ma On Shan Promenade in just 5 minutes. Meanwhile, SF Express Hong Kong launched its maiden drone route in September 2025 between Cyberport and Cheung Chau, focusing on urgent medical supplies across a 12-kilometer over-sea flight path—boosting logistics efficiency by over 60% compared to traditional sea transport.

A Keeta Drone fulfilling a Pizza Hut delivery trial. (Source: U Lifestyle Photo)

The Big Picture Behind a Cup of Coffee

From a cup of coffee at Lianhuashan Park to a 10-minute cross-border flight between Shekou and Tuen Mun, and a 5-minute delivery across the harbor from Science Park to Ma On Shan, drone logistics is redefining urban mobility between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

The significance of this "sky corridor" extends far beyond fast food. International media outlets have noted Meituan completing tens of thousands of automated flights monthly amidst Shenzhen's dense urban skyscraper canyons. To date, Meituan alone has surpassed 1 million commercial drone orders. For Hong Kong residents, ordering a drone takeaway to Futian Port may well be the most grounded, tangible, and everyday manifestation of "Chinamaxxing."