Ping pong diplomacy: how table tennis brought the US and China together
Ping pong diplomacy was the thaw between the United States and China that began at the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. After a chance meeting between American player Glenn Cowan and China's Zhuang Zedong, the US team was invited to China in April 1971. The gesture helped pave the way for President Richard Nixon's trip to Beijing in February 1972.
In this article
Few sports can claim they changed world history. Table tennis can. In 1971, in the middle of the Cold War, a bus ride at a tournament in Japan became the first step toward reopening relations between the United States and China, two countries that had not had diplomatic ties for more than twenty years.
That episode is known as ping pong diplomacy. Here is what happened, who was involved and why it still matters.
The background: two countries not talking
After the 1949 revolution, the United States did not recognize the government of the People's Republic of China. There were no embassies, almost no trade, and Americans could not freely travel there. By the late 1960s both sides had reasons to talk, but neither wanted to make the first public move and look weak.
Table tennis was already China's sport: the country had world champions from 1959 on, as told in the history of table tennis.
What happened in Nagoya in 1971
In April 1971, teams were playing the World Championships in Nagoya, Japan. American player Glenn Cowan, 19, missed his team's bus and ended up on the Chinese team's bus.
Chinese players had been told to avoid contact with Americans. Even so, Zhuang Zedong, a three-time world champion and the team's biggest star, spoke to him through an interpreter and gave him a silk-screen picture of the Huangshan mountains. Photographers caught the two together when the bus arrived. The next day Cowan returned the favor with a T-shirt.
The photos went around the world. Soon after, Mao Zedong approved an invitation: the US table tennis team was asked to visit China.
The US team in China
On April 10, 1971, the American delegation of players, officials and family members crossed from Hong Kong into mainland China. They were among the first Americans officially welcomed there since 1949.
Over about a week, the Americans played exhibition matches, toured cities and were received by Premier Zhou Enlai. The matches mattered more as symbols than as sport, and the hosts made sure the mood stayed friendly.
From the table to Nixon's trip
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| April 1971 | Cowan and Zhuang meet at the Nagoya World Championships |
| April 1971 | The US team visits China |
| July 1971 | Henry Kissinger makes a secret trip to Beijing |
| February 1972 | President Richard Nixon visits China |
| April 1972 | China's team tours the United States |
Nixon's 1972 visit was a turning point of the Cold War, and formal diplomatic relations followed in 1979. Nixon later wrote that he had never expected the China initiative to come to fruition in the form of a ping pong team.
Why ping pong?
- It was China's sport: China was the top table tennis nation, so playing the Americans showed strength and goodwill at the same time.
- Low risk: a sports invitation could be walked back without a crisis, unlike an official meeting.
- A friendly image: young athletes playing, smiling and swapping gifts sent the right message to people in both countries.
The legacy
"Ping pong diplomacy" became shorthand for using sport to open dialogue between rivals. For table tennis, it brought worldwide attention to the game and cemented its link with China, still the sport's superpower, as explained in why China dominates table tennis.
It reached pop culture too: in Forrest Gump, Forrest travels to China with the US ping pong team, a direct nod to this story. And fittingly, it all started at the World Championships, the sport's oldest event; see World Table Tennis Championships. Curious why it is called ping pong at all? Read table tennis vs ping pong.
Frequently asked questions
What was ping pong diplomacy?
The thaw between the US and China that began in 1971, when the US table tennis team was invited to China after the Nagoya World Championships. It helped prepare Nixon's 1972 visit to Beijing.
Who started ping pong diplomacy?
A chance meeting between American player Glenn Cowan and Chinese star Zhuang Zedong on a team bus in Nagoya set it off. Mao Zedong then approved the invitation to the US team.
When did ping pong diplomacy happen?
In April 1971. The US team entered China on April 10, and China's team made a return tour of the US in April 1972.
How did ping pong diplomacy affect Nixon?
It created a friendly public opening that led to Henry Kissinger's secret trip in July 1971 and Nixon's visit to China in February 1972.
Is ping pong diplomacy in Forrest Gump?
Yes. In the film, Forrest goes to China with the US ping pong team, a reference to the 1971 visit.