Have you ever heard of ping pong diplomacy? Well, that was the term for the era that was used when former President Richard Nixon “opened” China, and it first started with a week-long of table tennis exhibition games in China in April 1971. Well, in the spirit of the Olympic games, the Chinese are commemorating, “Pingpong diplomacy to be commemorated in rematch“:
“More than three decades later, China and the U.S. will pay homage this week to the now-famous “pingpong diplomacy” with a three-day event at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace that culminates in a rematch between several of the original—and aging—athletes. The games also are designed as a tribute to the friendly relations between the two nations today and as a prelude to the Beijing Olympics, an event that some believe would not have been possible without the detente that began over a pingpong table.”
From the article, I learned that it was actually the Chinese that had invited the American team to visit China, while both teams were in Japan for a tournament. The American table tennis players were the first Americans to visit China since the Communist defeated the Nationalists in 1949. A year later, Nixon visited China, making him the first president ever to do so and opening diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Obviously, a lot has changed since then – with China opening up considerably to the rest or the world and becoming an economic powerhouse (as well as a source of table tennis greatness, as I had blogged about in Pong Dynasty: In Table Tennis, Chinese Rule). I am sure there are a lot of Chinese-Americans here today who would not be if it were not for “ping pong” diplomacy.
On a side note – I’ve actually been to the Nixon library – I dropped by once while seeing a friend in Yorba Linda, California, where the library is. Actually, I’ve visited quite a few presidential libraries, and they are all usually very fascinating (at least for me, who enjoys learning about history and following politics).
