year legacy of friendship to US campus

Until this week, 70-year-old Southern California resident Bob Taylor had little knowledge of Ping-Pong Diplomacy.

That changed when he joined hundreds of students, teachers and families at La Salle College Preparatory High School on Monday to watch members of the Chinese National Table Tennis Team play exhibition matches with local students, commemorating the 55th anniversary of the historic exchanges that helped open a new chapter in relations between China and the United States.

Accompanied by his daughter and granddaughter, Taylor said the event reminded him that sports can bring together people from different backgrounds and generations.

"I am so glad to see all these young people can get together, not just our La Salle kids and Chinese kids, but all kids everywhere," Taylor said.

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"That's what's great about sports. Everybody is having a great time and doing their best to compete. That's the way the young generation is going to run our country someday."

The campus visit followed the recently concluded World Table Tennis US Smash tournament and formed part of activities marking the 55th anniversary of China-US Ping-Pong Diplomacy.

In his welcoming speech, Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles Guo Shaochun said Ping-Pong Diplomacy in 1971 opened the door to friendly exchanges between the Chinese and US peoples and started a new chapter in bilateral relations.

"The story of the 'small ball moving the big ball' transcended sports itself and had a profound impact on China-US relations and the international landscape," Guo said.

During a recent summit in Beijing, both countries' presidents emphasized the importance of expanding people-to-people exchanges, he said. The visit by the Chinese national team represented a "significant practice" of implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, he added.

"I hope today's event will help all of you deepen mutual understanding, build lasting friendships and become a new generation of ambassadors for China-US friendship, jointly writing a new chapter of Ping-Pong Diplomacy in the new era," Guo said.

He Xiao, secretary-general of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, said the campus visit was a concrete effort to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state while carrying forward the spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy.

Exchanges between Chinese and US table tennis players have continued over the past 55 years — from reciprocal visits and joint training to cross-national doubles partnerships and campus outreach, he said.

The exhibition featured some of China's leading players. Men's doubles champions Wen Ruibo and Yuan Licen played runners-up Lin Shidong and Huang Youzheng, while women's doubles champions Wang Manyu and Kuai Man faced teammates Wang Yidi and Chen Yi, drawing enthusiastic applause from students packed inside the school gymnasium.

Among those taking part was La Salle student Shaan Ngan, who joined the friendship exhibition with members of the Chinese team.

"It's really interesting to hear how long of a history we've had with it," Ngan said. "It's a really good way for two countries to bond over something so fun like ping-pong."

Youth exchanges

Player Lin said he hoped the visit would encourage exchanges between young people in the two countries by carrying forward the spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy.

"I can also see that some students at this school have excellent table tennis skills," he said. "I hope they keep at it."

For Perry Martin, president of La Salle College Preparatory, the event carried lessons extending well beyond sports.

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Recalling the legacy of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, Martin said peace does not always begin with "grand speeches or signed agreements", but can start with simple acts of respect and human connection.

"Our students are not simply watching an exhibition. They are witnessing how sports can become diplomacy, how respect can become friendship, and how a school can become a bridge between nations," he said.

Robert Packard, La Salle's corporate director and chief financial officer, said exchanges like this help young people overcome stereotypes.

"It breaks down barriers," Packard said. "There's so much hate in the world, and by bringing representatives from China to the US, we're reminded that we're all just friends."

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