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NARRATOR: Hello and welcome to History Pod. On the 10th of April 1971, the United States table-tennis team heralded the era of ping-pong diplomacy by becoming the first official American delegation to visit China in 20 years.

Relations between the USA and China had soured in the aftermath of the Communist revolution and only grew worse as a result of the Korean War in which the countries fought on opposing sides. Relations were so poor that, by the time the two countries traveled to Nagoya in Japan for the 31st World Table Tennis Championships in 1971, they had no diplomatic or economic relationship.

Richard Nixon intended to bring China in from the cold when he took up the presidency of America in 1969. Meanwhile, increasing tensions between China and the USSR had similarly led Chairman Mao to consider rebuilding relationships with the United States. Both table tennis teams being in Nagoya offered the perfect opportunity.

Having missed the United States bus after practice one evening, American player Glenn Cowan traveled back to his room with the Chinese team. Although the Chinese claim that Cowan stumbled up the steps of their bus, he counter-claimed in an interview that he was invited to travel with them. Whatever the reality, during the short bus journey, Cowan was given a silk screen picture by the Chinese player Zhuang Zedong. Favorable press coverage of the meeting, which led Mao to comment on Zhuang Zedong's positive actions as a diplomat, resulted in the entire American team being invited to China after the world tournament ended.

Having arrived in the country on the 10th of April, they then spent 10 days touring Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. Their visit heralded a new period in Chinese-American relations that culminated in President Nixon traveling to China the following year.

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