Beijing Review: Icebreakers in China-U.S. ties share their priceless memories as ping-pong diplomacy turns 50
BEIJING: Ring, ring… The ringing phone shattered the silence of the night, forcing Dell Sweeris to pick up the receiver groggily. It was midnight of April 6, 1971, in Michigan, the United States, where he lived.
His wife Connie was on the line. "I'm going to China," she said. The 20-year-old was in Japan as part of the American team, taking part in the 31st World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya.
At that time, the U.S. had no diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China (PRC). Travel to the Chinese mainland was banned. But on that historic day, Connie Sweeris and her fellow U.S. players were invited to China, all of it thanks to a miraculous mistake.
Three days before the midnight call, Glenn Cowan, another American table tennis player, hopped onto a shuttle bus meant for the Chinese team. Chinese player Zhuang Zedong, then three-time world champion, gave Cowan a silkscreen painting as a souvenir.
Over the next few days, the U.S. players mentioned several times that they wanted to visit China. Early on April 7, the Chinese Government decided to invite the U.S. players to China.
