Professional Life
Chen retired from amateur competition after the Olympics and turned professional. She toured with Stars on Ice for two seasons and competed at many professional and professional-amateur competitions. The Chinese Federation asked Chen to skate at the 9th Chinese National Games in 2001, so she could help younger skaters improve their elegance. She ended up winning. This national competition occurs every four years and is different from the Chinese National Figure Skating Championships that occurs every year.
After retirement she also wrote two books, Butterfly On Ice and The Illusions of a Butterfly. Both books were about her life as a figure skater and the struggles she had with her former coach Li Mingzhu. In the book, Chen mentions how Li started spreading rumors to the Chinese government that she was planning to defect to America, which were untrue. Li herself changed to US Citizenship after Chen won a second bronze medal at the Olympics.
Chen has also done choreography for Chinese competitive skaters. She continues to do television interviews in China but devotes most of her time to her family and work at the rink.
On 17 January 2006, Chen was one of torchbearers in the 2006 Winter Olympics relay, carrying the flame in Venice, Italy.
On 1 February 2007 Chen skated to "Butterfly Lovers" for the opening ceremony at the 6th Asian Winter Games. Chen had won the competition nearly ten years ago. It was her first time performing since 2002. She landed a double salchow and a single axel. Chen was also be a guest-commentator during the 6th Asian Winter Games for figure skating.
Read more about this topic: Chen Lu
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