On October 12, a match between Dalian Ren and Chengdu Rongcheng in the 22nd round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) was about to start on the soccer field. In this tense atmosphere, Dalian People's head coach Xie Hui appeared in front of Chengdu Rongcheng's coaching seat in an unexpected gesture, reaching out his hand and shaking hands with South Korean head coach Seo Jung-won, sincerely expressing his apologies. The scene, captured by the Yangcheng Evening News, was praised as a display of Xie Hui's broad-mindedness and emotional intelligence.
Xie Hui's apology stems from a past incident a year ago. At that time, as the head coach of Chinese League One side Nantong Zhiyun, Xie Hui expressed his views on Chengdu Rongcheng's Xu Zhengyuan at a drinking party. He believed that despite Chengdu's huge investment, Xu Zhengyuan appeared disorganized in his lineup, and although Chengdu eventually won, his team was at one point the underdog. This comment sparked a furor in the aftermath.
In the face of controversy, Xie Hui did not choose to defend himself, but decisively took responsibility and resigned as head coach of Nantong Zhiyun. This move shows Xie Hui's commitment. Subsequently, he chose to go abroad for further study, and accidentally got a blessing in disguise. Originally facing relegation, the Dalian People's team withdrew from the Chinese Super League due to the poorly-run Chongqing Liangjiang, and Xie Hui successfully competed for the job of Dalian People's team's head coach.
After the match, Xie Hui wrote on his microblog, "Shaking hands with Coach Xu Zhengyuan before the match, I apologized in person, and he accepted it with tolerance, showing the great general's demeanor." For this scene, the Guangdong media commented that with Xie Hui's face-to-face apology to Xu Zhengyuan, the controversial incident of a year ago finally drew to a close. Xu Zhengyuan's generous response made the two of them laugh off their differences and became a good story. Xie Hui's ease of entering and exiting and making progress by retreating over the past year has undoubtedly left a deep impression on people. As a local junior, Xie Hui has set an example in terms of career planning and dealing with matters of broad-mindedness and emotional intelligence.
