The heaven-given opportunity to spread the good story "ping-pong diplomacy" has borne fruitful results

The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States in the 1970s, although it was an inevitable result of the world political environment at that time, but with the help of the sport of table tennis, it was achieved by the American athlete Cohen who mistakenly boarded the shuttle of the Chinese team during the competition.

On April 4, 1971, in Nagoya, Japan, the World Table Tennis Championships were in full swing, and Team USA player Glenn Cohen walked out of the training ground. He had just practiced with England's Trevor Taylor for a while and now he was looking for a car to get to the main stadium. At this time, a shuttle bus with the logo of the race appeared in front of him. After jumping into the car, he found that the car was full of Chinese team members.

A long-haired Caucasian looked a little outlier in a group of yellows with serious expressions.

At this time, the Chinese of the full car did not see the American team logo behind Cohen's training suit. However, seeing his long shawl hair and soft-brimmed hat, everyone can guess that an uninvited guest has broken into between them. When Cohen, 19, noticed that there were no empty seats in the car, he leaned against the door and broke the silence in front of a group of passengers staring at him silently: "I know that my hat, hairstyle and clothes make you feel funny," he said in English, "but many people in the United States wear the same clothes as me." ”

Zhuang Zedong, who was 30 years old at the time and had won the World Table Tennis Championships singles title three times in a row, sat in the back and listened to the people next to him translate Cohen's words one by one.

No one responded, no one expressed enthusiasm, and perhaps although Chinese's heart could no longer suppress the feeling of hospitality, he finally gave up. Zhao Zhenghong said in the book "What I Know about 'Ping-Pong Diplomacy'": "Before the trip, there were regulations: do not hold hands with American players; do not actively talk with Americans; do not exchange flags with American teams on the playing field. Seeing Zhuang Zedong's actions (referring to the contact and conversation between Zhuang and Cohen in the car), I was quite nervous and pulled him a little. Zhuang Zedong smiled and said to me: 'You have a lot of worries as the leader of the regiment, I am an athlete, it doesn't matter, you can rest assured.' ’”

At that very awkward moment, Zhuang Zedong stood up, walked over to Cohen, and talked to the Americans through an interpreter. Zhuang Zedong recalled: "To this day, I can't forget the innocent smile on his face. ”

Zhuang Zedong decided to give Cohen a gift, and he pulled out a traditional brocade from Hangzhou from his bag, and on the brocade was a landscape map of Huangshan Mountain, called "Huangshan Yunlong Stone Basket".

Cohen rolled up his pockets and opened his backpack, looking for something he could give back, but in the end he didn't find it. Later, the translator asked him if he knew who had given him the gift. "I know, world champion Zhuang Zedong," Cohen replied, "I hope your team can play well." ”

At this time, the car drove to the main stadium of the competition, the two athletes got out of the car with a smile, and the photographer caught this scene, when Cohen was holding the rolled up tapestry, and Zhuang Zedong stood next to him.

The next day, Cohen bought a T-shirt in an underground mall with the American flag and peace emblem and the words "LET IT BE." In the gymnasium, he saw Zhuang Zedong, hugged him at once, and then gave him this T-shirt. Later, on the occasion of commemorating the 40th anniversary of "ping-pong diplomacy", Cohen's mother Joan told Zhuang Zedong what "LET IT BE" meant: "This is the meaning of calling for peace, there is a famous hippie singing group called the Beatles, this troupe's programs are related to the call for peace, asking the US government to withdraw its troops from Vietnam and demanding world peace." ”

After this "accidental" factor appeared, Kyodo News Agency published a message entitled "With Zhuang Zedong as the center, a "friendship ring" has been formed": In the world table tennis championships, the reputation of China's veteran athlete Zhuang Zedong suddenly rose, and zhuang Zedong was always surrounded by a group of smiling people. The children who begged Zhuang Zedong for autographs, as well as others, formed a "ring of friendship" and quietly expanded.

"Behind the contingency there is always a hidden necessity, and there is no pure contingency that is detached from necessity." The political "inevitability" of Both China and the United States at that time was that they wanted to change their political strategies toward each other. At the same time, the Chinese side also has plans to change the "two fists to hit people" diplomatic strategy.

According to the book "Memories of Ping-Pong Diplomacy" edited by Wang Taiping, the trigger that made Mao Zedong temporarily change his mind and invite the American table tennis team to visit China was to see the afternoon edition of "Reference Materials" on April 6, 1971, when the "Reference Materials" included the news of the "Ring of Friendship" published by Kyodo News Agency.

In fact, as early as 1967, on the other side of the Pacific, US President Richard Nixon proposed in the "Diplomatic Quarterly" that he wanted to establish diplomatic relations with China: "In the long run, we simply cannot let China be permanently excluded from the international family, and alone breed illusions, insist on hatred and threaten neighbors." On this tiny planet, it is impossible to allow a billion people to live in isolation in anger. ”

It is driven by the "inevitability" of the policy changes between China and China, coupled with a series of "accidental" interactions between the American team members at the 31st World Table Tennis Championships, which has contributed to a diplomatic story that has been passed down to this day - "ping-pong diplomacy". On April 7, 1971, Song Zhong, secretary general of the Chinese table tennis delegation, expressed his intention to invite the American table tennis team to visit China to Harrison, director of the International Department of the American Table Tennis Association, and on the same day, the United States agreed to let the American table tennis team go to Beijing. On April 10, 1971, the U.S. table tennis team officially visited China; in July 1971, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger paid a secret visit to China; in October 1971, the People's Republic of China restored its legal status in the United Nations; in February 1972, Nixon visited China; and in April 1972, the Chinese table tennis team visited the United States. So far, "ping-pong diplomacy" has borne fruitful results.

(The author is the director of the Collection Research Department of the China Table Tennis Museum of Shanghai University of Sport)