The spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy still offers valuable lessons today for building bridges and promoting exchanges, according to two former table tennis athletes from the United States.
Talking to China Global Television Network (CGTN) ahead of the 55th anniversary of China-U.S. Ping-Pong Diplomacy, Connie Sweeris, a former member of the U.S. national table tennis team, recalled how a chance encounter in Japan soon evolved into a moment of far-reaching historical significance.
Connie and her husband Dell Sweeris were both chosen to represent the U.S. at the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan.
As Dell couldn't get time off from work, Connie joined up with the U.S. team for a tournament that would have wide reaching significance.
It was all sparked by the accidental actions of U.S. player Glenn Cowan.
"He was supposed to get on the American bus to come back with us, but somehow he dilly dallied around and didn't get on that bus. And so the next bus that came along, he got on, and it was all the Chinese bus. And Zhuang Zedong came up to him and shook his hand and made a gesture, and gave him a piece that had mountains in it," said Connie.
The moment sparked a remarkable chain of events that led to the U.S. team receiving an invitation to visit and play friendship matches in China.
"We all had to make phone calls back home, I had to call Dell. We were married at the time and let him know that I was going into China," said Connie.
"I remember getting a phone call from Connie that she is going to China. And I said, you mean China, China?" Dell recalled.
On April 10, 1971, nine U.S. players as well as supporting staff, became the first official American delegation to visit China since 1949.
During the ten-day trip, they visited cultural landmarks, met with China's Premier Zhou Enlai and played exhibition games.
The trip signaled a major shift in cold war strategy and opened the door for the normalization of relations between China and the U.S.
In April 1972, it was the turn of China's table tennis team to visit the United States.
Now 55 years on, both Connie and Dell believe there are lessons for today that can be learned from the spirit of that time.
"I think that today there is definitely a need to have exchanges. It can build a lot of bridges. It can be very much instrumental in bringing people together," said Dell.
"If we can keep these exchanges going and really participate and keep our minds open, I think we can begin to see global peace start to happen," said Connie.
World needs Ping-Pong Diplomacy spirit to boost exchanges: former U.S. athletes
