In 1971, a small ping-pong ball bounced off the west coast of the Pacific Ocean, carrying the hope that Sino-US relations would enter a new era. The small ball turns the big ball, and Chinese and American table tennis are the media. On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, an 18-member table tennis delegation from the University of Virginia recently visited Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, China, repeating the route of the 1971 American table tennis delegation to China. During their stay in Beijing, they visited the Forbidden City, visited the Great Wall and other places, and held a Sino-US youth table tennis exchange with students from Tsinghua University. In Shanghai, the table tennis delegation from the University of Virginia competed with students from Fudan University and Shanghai Sports University.
On January 6, the Sino-US Youth Table Tennis Friendship Match was held at Tsinghua University
On the morning of January 6, a unique Sino-US youth table tennis friendly match started in the comprehensive gymnasium of Tsinghua University.
Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in China said that the Chinese and U.S. heads of state met in San Francisco in November 2023, and we have just celebrated the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States.
Marr, vice provost for global affairs at the University of Virginia, said that he was very excited and happy to lead a team to visit China. He hoped that the students at the University of Virginia would experience China's long history and culture and build a lasting friendship. In the future, we hope to hold more Sino-US student exchange activities to promote more American students to come to China and experience China.
MAHL: When I was thinking about how to get more American students to return to China, I was reminded of the story of "ping-pong diplomacy" in diplomatic history, which was the history of the American table tennis team's visit to China in 1971. I asked our Chinese friends if we could bring another table tennis team to China, and they very enthusiastically agreed, so we came here. Not only will we play table tennis, but we will also have some classes on Chinese history and culture, and we can all work together between the United States and China.
Marr (left), vice provost for global affairs at the University of Virginia, poses with Liang Geliang, a world champion who witnessed "ping pong diplomacy" in 1971
Justin, the chief representative of the University of Virginia China Office, has lived in China for more than 20 years, and his Chinese name is Ou Junting. He agrees with the spirit of "friendship first, competition second" in table tennis diplomacy. He hopes that the visit of the University of Virginia table tennis delegation to China is only the first step, and that there will be more people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States in the future, and that more American students will be able to visit China.
Justin: We need to let more American students understand the views and worldviews of Chinese students, and young people want to come to see China. China in the American media is not the same as the (China) that I have been living in China. I want our students to have a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, to make more Chinese friends, and most importantly, to have more activities like this. It is very important that more American students come to China to study, they can learn Chinese, or Chinese history, literature, etc., and there are more Chinese students and American students to communicate, which is very important, so we hope that this is the first step, and we can do similar activities every year.
Margaux, a senior at the University of Virginia, said that she has been studying Chinese for 10 years, this is her fourth time in China, she loves to play table tennis, and she is excited to be able to practice Chinese and compete with her classmates at Tsinghua University.
Margaux: I'm glad to have this opportunity, but my table tennis skills are not that high, so I'm a little nervous, but I'm looking forward to talking and connecting with my Tsinghua classmates because they will help me improve my skills. Table tennis will help us (improve) relations, because we have seen that table tennis in 1971 helped (promote) Sino-American relations, so I hope that today it will also help (promote) Sino-American relations. I think communication is very important because you can get to know [the other person's] culture. For example, I would learn about Chinese culture, and my Tsinghua classmates might know about American culture, so I think it would help [us] communicate.
The table tennis delegation from the University of Virginia took a group photo with world champion Liu Guozheng (first from left) and Zhang Qian (first from right), executive vice president of Beijing Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
Misselin, a sophomore at the University of Virginia, was born in Beijing to a diplomat father who grew up in Shanghai until he was 5 years old before leaving China. She was particularly excited to return to China this time.
Misselin: I did a lot of research in preparation for this study trip, and it was really interesting. I am glad that table tennis is very important to the U.S.-China relationship, and I think that on that basis, we can continue to promote exchanges and the development of bilateral relations through table tennis. I want to build friendships with my Chinese classmates, which is exciting. I've made some really good friends and discussed some interesting things with them.
Yu Hongbo, a fourth-year student at Tsinghua University, said that the US table tennis delegation visited Tsinghua University in 1971 and held a friendly match, and that the younger generation should inherit the spirit of "table tennis diplomacy" and promote the continued friendly exchanges between the two peoples.
Yu Hongbo: I think it is a very meaningful and happy thing to communicate with my classmates from the University of Virginia in the United States to form mixed doubles and play table tennis together. Table tennis provides a platform for college students and young people of the two countries to communicate, and with the help of sports, we can get closer, exchange our ideas with each other, and exchange our love for sports. Because I know that "small balls promote big balls" has had a great impact on China-US diplomacy in history, and now there are more exchanges and cooperation between our two countries for mutual benefit and win-win results, and with the help of this activity, we can better understand the thoughts of young American friends and lay a certain foundation for better exchanges and cooperation in the future.
Tsinghua University and the University of Virginia are exchanging ideas
As a witness to the "table tennis diplomacy" in 1971, world champion Liang Geliang recalled the first time he came into contact with American athletes, and he still remembers it vividly. He expressed the hope that the younger generation will carry on the spirit of "ping-pong diplomacy" and deepen the understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries.
Liang Geliang: Decades have passed, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to meet the younger generation today. In the new era, table tennis still works, and (both sides) learn from each other's strengths. In addition, American athletes and American people, [we] need to understand that we need to increase our engagement, and through engagement and understanding, we can increase friendship.
Marr, vice provost for global affairs at the University of Virginia, expressed the hope that this event will contribute to the enhancement of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.
Marl: We are the two largest and most important countries in the world, and we have to work together in a friendly and constructive way to solve problems, and the key is to have more people-to-people contact. We hope that our contribution to this will help move this process forward. I'm thrilled to be here to start this process, and my classmates will remember it for the rest of their lives.
A table tennis delegation from the University of Virginia toured the Great Wall
Photo courtesy of Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries