Visiting Zhang Xue's hometown in Hunan, Mayang: The old house still has a DVD of motorcycle off-road stunt tutorials, and his younger cousin claims to be a super fan, once seeing him "close his eyes and pretend to start the engine."

Ask AI · How did Zhang Xue’s childhood dreams lead to today’s brilliance?

▲Zhang Xue’s childhood home’s two-story small building

Red Star News Reporter | Wang Mingping Photography

Editor-in-Chief | Shao Zhoub

Editor | Bao Chengli Review | Ren Zhijiang

At the end of March, at the stands of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) Portugal round, a Chinese man was in tears.

His name is Zhang Xue, founder of Chongqing Zhang Xue Motorcycle Industry Co., Ltd. At that moment, French rider Valentino Debis was driving the company’s 820RR-RS motorcycle, winning two rounds in the SSP category consecutively. This was the first victory for a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer in the history of the World Superbike Championship, breaking the long-standing monopoly of foreign traditional motorcycle brands like Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and others in the middleweight class for over 30 years.

From mountain roads in Mayang, Huaihua, Hunan, to the podium of the world’s top motorcycle races, Zhang Xue has traveled this path for twenty years.

On April 1st, a Red Star News reporter visited Tianjiawan Village, Jiangkou Market, Mayang County, Huaihua, Hunan, to explore the journey of Zhang Xue’s real-life “Fast and Furious.”

Great-uncle says Zhang Xue has been hands-on since childhood

Loves to dismantle bicycles and motorcycles

Tianjiawan Village, Mayang County, surrounded by mountains, is dotted with orange groves and rapeseed fields. Not far away, the Chen River flows slowly, nourishing this land. This is Zhang Xue’s hometown, the place where his dreams began.

News of Zhang Xue’s motorcycle victory spread quickly in the village, becoming a topic of conversation over meals and tea. People kept coming to Zhang Xue’s old home. His great-uncle, 72-year-old Zhang Jishun, brought a stool, offered sunflower seeds, and served tea, welcoming visitors one after another.

The village also arranged workers to repair a collapsed embankment next to Zhang Xue’s old house.

Zhang Xue’s house is a brick-and-wood structure, with red tiles and white walls, clean and simple. A sign reading “ZXMOTO Ultimate Passion” by the window on the second floor is particularly eye-catching.

Inside the old house, yellowed copies of “Operating System Principles” and racing off-road action training DVDs reveal the owner’s love for motorcycles.

▲Books and DVDs in the house

Zhang Jishun said the house was built more than ten years ago, with some savings from Zhang Xue and support from the village. Zhang Xue rarely returns home due to his busy schedule, but he occasionally helps take care of the house and clean.

Talking about his nephew, Zhang Jishun’s lips curl into a slight smile, hiding his happiness. “Winning in international competitions and standing on the international podium not only brings glory to the country but also makes our old Zhang family proud.”

He admitted that it’s a pity that Zhang Xue’s grandparents can’t see this moment anymore. According to him, Zhang Xue’s parents divorced early; his father passed away years ago due to illness, and last year, his grandparents also passed away one after another.

He told Red Star News that Zhang Xue is very clever and has been hands-on since childhood. His family had bicycles and motorcycles, which he would disassemble and reassemble repeatedly, always finding and solving problems himself. “That really moved me,” he said.

▲People keep visiting as Zhang Jishun greets guests

Village Party Secretary says he has discussed with Zhang Xue

About building a motorcycle training base in the village

Cousin Zhang Rui grew up with Zhang Xue. “Xue-ge watched me grow up. He taught me how to swim!” Zhang Rui said he is a big fan of Zhang Xue, and admires his ability to “simulate motorcycle engines with his eyes closed.”

Many children growing up by the Chen River can swim. One summer, Zhang Xue taught him to swim. Zhang Rui was afraid to get into the water, but Zhang Xue pushed him in, making him splash around before pulling him out. Gradually, he learned to swim.

Another thing that impressed Zhang Rui was when the village introduced the cultivation of chili peppers. Seeing the ripening chili peppers, Zhang Xue had a bold idea. He took his younger siblings to pick the chili peppers, cut them open, salt them, and sun-dried them as snacks. “Although Hunan people aren’t afraid of spicy food, when I tasted that ‘snack,’ I felt like my soul left my body.”

Village Party Secretary Sun Yihe, who also grew up watching Zhang Xue, said, “Zhang Xue rarely comes home, but he has a very good reputation locally.” He added that if there are public welfare activities in the village, Zhang Xue is always generous in supporting them.

Before Zhang Xue’s victory in motorcycle racing, Sun Yihe visited him in Chongqing. After Zhang Xue became famous, the old secretary had his own “private wish”—to see if he could leverage this popularity to sell village oranges, mineral water, and other products to increase local income. There’s also an empty lot in the village, and he discussed with Zhang Xue about building a motorcycle training base.

Village official Zhang Shengyun also sighed, “Zhang Xue is now a big boss, but he’s not particular. When he comes back, he still lives in the old house, works in the fields. People who don’t know might think he’s a farmer working in the fields.” In Zhang Shengyun’s view, Zhang Xue doesn’t pursue material wealth much, but once he sets his mind on something, especially motorcycles, he pursues perfection.

▲Zhang Xue’s hometown, Tianjiawan Village

Obsessed in childhood diaries

“Loves motorcycles more than his own life”

In November 2025, Zhang Xue’s wife “Xingjie” posted several yellowed pages of a diary on a short video platform, titled “Mo Yuan,” written by Zhang Xue in his youth. The handwriting is messy, and the words plain, hiding a young boy’s obsession with motorcycles.

“When I was young, I made a vow: ‘When I grow up, I must buy a motorcycle.’” That was Zhang Xue’s earliest memory. When he was four or five, he often unbuttoned his clothes, took off the sleeves, and draped them over himself like a martial arts robe. Then he would spread his arms, imitate riding a bike, run barefoot everywhere, and mimic the engine’s roar. He didn’t understand then that his parents’ relationship was already breaking apart. In his world, only the dream of motorcycles existed.

As a child, his mother bought him a toy bicycle. Zhang Xue vividly remembers that scene—he was in class when his mother pushed the bike from the street to home, and the teacher saw it and called him out to look.

“I hadn’t seen my mother for years,” he wrote in his diary. “But what I cared