BEILUN, Ningbo, Southeast China, June 22(Xinhuanet)-- The American women's volleyball team led by Chinese volleyball legend Lang Ping arrived here Wednesday afternoon for the 2005 World Grand Prix Ningbo Leg women's volleyball tournament.

Lang, who had been a spiritual leader of the Chinese women's volleyball team in 1980s and head coach of the team in late 1990s, will lead the United States to play China on Sunday, featuring Lang's first meeting with the team from her homeland after she took the helm of the American team.

Chen Zhonghe, who led the Chinese women to consecutive victories at the 2003 World Cup in Japan and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, had been assistant coach to Lang as she guided the Chinese national team.

Thus Sunday's clash had attracted great attention from Chinese media and been described as"War Between He and Ping(He of Chen Zhonghe and Ping of Lang Ping)". It is interesting that the Chinese characters of"He" and"Ping" combine to mean"peace", the antonym of"war".

Dozens of Chinese reporters met Lang Ping at the Ningbo Lishe airport Wednesday afternoon, but she did not make any comment upon arrival.

In the eyes of the Chinese people, Lang is far more than just a volleyball star. A member of the Chinese women's volleyball team that inspired an early-1980s China, which had just emerged from seclusion and started out on a path of robust economic development, Lang is still regarded as one the nation's spiritual idols.

"As one of the most influential athletes and a spiritual leader of Chinese volleyball, Lang Ping's influence over China and world volleyball far exceeds the sport itself," said Gu Donghui, a sociologist from Fudan University.

The Ningbo leg competition of the 2005 World Grand Prix women's volleyball tournament will kick off on Friday with the United States, the Netherlands, Thailand and China to vie for the title.

Beilun, in southeast China's Zhejiang province and two hours drive from China's largest port city Shanghai, will play host to most international games of the Chinese women's national team in the next four years. Enditem