EDward Gaming Club leading China's eSports expansion
Ji Xing (second from right) encourages the EDG members before a competition.
Ji Xing (game ID: Aaron) compared his 10-year eSports career to the butterfly's metamorphosis, which had several ups and downs.
The general manager and head coach of EDward Gaming (EDG) Club in Huacao Town, Minhang District, has led his team to five Demacia Cup titles, five League of Legends Pro League (LPL) titles and the 11th season of the League of Legends World Championship, the highest honor in global LPL competitions.
Like other competitive sports, eSports requires strategies and tactics and can be difficult at times.
"The athletes look up to me as their coach, counsellor, friend and elder brother," Ji said.
A display of medals and awards in the EDG Club contrasts with the current atmosphere where young athletes compete on computer screens.
A display of medals and awards in the EDG Club
Because eSports competitions typically take place between 5pm and 7pm, club members typically wake up at noon. They have their training from 2pm to 5pm, eat dinner, and then continue training until 1am or 2am.
Ji, as the person closest to the arena after the athletes, is both in the spotlight and under a lot of pressure.
What is their adversary's signature hero? What are their tricks? Will they be able to defeat them? He must consider all of them.
He was named head coach of the Chinese national team for the League of Legends 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games.
"It was a hastily assembled team. At first, the contestants' cooperative performance was unsatisfactory," Ji recalled, while he himself was suffering from stomach cramps at that time.
They did, however, strive to be the best.
They quickly improved their competitive edge, adjusted their tactics and strengthened team spirit. In the final, they defeated the Chinese Taipei team and later the South Korean team by a score of 3:1. The Chinese national eSports team had won its first gold medal.
Ji was moved as he witnessed the raising of the national flag in Jakarta.
"I felt a strong sense of patriotism because of my participation in winning the medal for my country."
On November 7, 2021, EDG turned the tables on the South Korean DK to win the 11th season of the League of Legends World Championship.
EDG competes at the League of Legends World Championship Semifinals Stage in 2021 in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Members of the EDG Club have to put in more than 10 hours of training every day. Wrist tenosynovitis, ganglion cysts, lumbar muscle strain and functional scoliosis are common occupational diseases.
"In 2018, we hired a full-time doctor for our club, and in 2020, we opened the first health management center among eSports clubs nationwide to ensure our athletes' physical and mental health," Ji said.
Even though eSports is becoming popular among young people all over the world, EDG is not afraid to share traditional Chinese culture with the rest of the world.
They used traditional Chinese designs, such as armor, jade dragons and cloud patterns, on their game skins in the finals of the 2021 League of Legends World Championship. During exchanges with other national teams, they would send them Chinese culture-themed gifts like palm-leaf fans and blue-white porcelains.
EDG Club's home, Huacao Town, will also have the Shanghai International NCC and eSports Center, dubbed the Hops On.
The venue is expected to be completed in 2025. It will have a 46-meter-deep indoor diving space, China's first Aerodium wind tunnel, Shanghai's only international competition standard climbing hall, a 3,000-square-meter outdoor rump track park and Shanghai's first outdoor beach surfing hall.
The LPL's home field in Shanghai will be located inside the Hops On venue in Huacao Town.
