Ping pong diplomacy was the 1971 to 1972 exchange of table tennis teams between the United States and China. It started when American player Glenn Cowan boarded the Chinese team’s bus at the 1971 World Championships in Nagoya, Japan. The U.S. team’s April 1971 visit to China, the State Department’s Office of the Historian says, gave a public face to talks that brought President Nixon to China in February 1972.
How Ping Pong Diplomacy Happened, Step by Step
The table below lists the dates and events reported across official and historical sources. These sources include the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships Wikipedia entry, the U.S. Department of State’s diplomacy museum page, the State Department’s Office of the Historian, Glenn Cowan’s Wikipedia entry, Zhuang Zedong’s Wikipedia entry, and Wikipedia’s page on the 1972 visit.
| Date | What Happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| March 28 to April 7, 1971 | The 1971 World Table Tennis Championships take place in Nagoya, Japan, where China’s players return “following a lengthy absence.” | 1971 World Table Tennis Championships Wikipedia entry |
| April 4, 1971 | Photos show Glenn Cowan and Zhuang Zedong leaving the Chinese team’s bus. Zhuang gave Cowan a silk picture of the Huangshan Mountains. | U.S. Department of State museum page |
| About two days later | The U.S. team receives an official invitation to travel to China and play. | U.S. Department of State museum page |
| April 10 to 17, 1971 | The U.S. team of nine players crosses from Hong Kong into mainland China, plays exhibition matches, and departs through Hong Kong. | U.S. Department of State museum page |
| July 15, 1971 | President Richard Nixon announces on live television that he will visit China. | Wikipedia page on the 1972 visit |
| February 21 to 28, 1972 | President Richard Nixon visits China as the first U.S. president to visit mainland China while in office. | Wikipedia page on the 1972 visit and State Department Office of the Historian |
| April 1972 | A Chinese table tennis delegation led by Zhuang Zedong visits the United States on a good-will tour. | State Department Office of the Historian and Zhuang Zedong’s Wikipedia entry |
| 1979 | Formal diplomatic relations between the United States and China are established. | State Department Office of the Historian and Zhuang Zedong’s Wikipedia entry |
8 ping pong social clubs · US & Toronto
Bring your group to SPIN
Ping pong tables for up to 10, party packages, and private events with food, drinks and a DJ. Pick your city to book.
Glenn Cowan and Zhuang Zedong
The 1971 World Table Tennis Championships took place in Nagoya, Japan, from March 28 to April 7, 1971. China’s players returned “following a lengthy absence,” according to the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships Wikipedia entry.
American player Glenn Cowan missed his bus after practice during the tournament. He boarded the Chinese team’s bus instead, according to the State Department museum page and Glenn Cowan’s Wikipedia entry. The two nations maintained no official diplomatic relations at the time.
Chinese player Zhuang Zedong greeted Cowan on the bus. Zhuang gave Cowan a silk picture of the Huangshan Mountains, according to Glenn Cowan’s Wikipedia entry and the State Department museum page.
Photos of the two leaving the bus are dated April 4, 1971, according to the State Department museum page. Glenn Cowan’s Wikipedia entry reports that Cowan was the youngest player on the U.S. team.
Glenn Cowan died on April 6, 2004, according to his Wikipedia entry. Zhuang Zedong died on February 10, 2013, in Beijing, his Wikipedia entry says.
The U.S. Team’s Week in China
Two days after the bus encounter, the U.S. team received an official invitation to travel to China and play, according to the State Department museum page. The Office of the Historian reports that the People’s Republic of China “issued an invitation in April 1971.”
The trip began on April 10, 1971. Nine players on the U.S. team crossed from Hong Kong into mainland China, according to the State Department museum page. The U.S. team left through Hong Kong on April 17.
The U.S. team traveled to Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin, according to the State Department museum page.
The hosts billed the games as “friendship matches,” according to the State Department museum page. About 20,000 fans filled Beijing’s Capital Indoor Stadium for the exhibition, according to the State Department museum page.
Premier Zhou Enlai personally greeted each player, according to the State Department museum page.
Why the Exchange Mattered
The Office of the Historian says: “This informal ‘Ping Pong Diplomacy’ provided a public face for more serious diplomatic negotiations.” The State Department museum page says the trip “helped lay the groundwork for establishing official diplomatic relations.”
Zhuang Zedong’s Wikipedia entry says the encounter “triggered the first thawing of the ice in Sino-American relations since 1949.” For the wider history of the sport, read how table tennis became a global phenomenon.
On July 15, 1971, President Richard Nixon announced on live television that he would visit China, according to Wikipedia’s page on the 1972 visit.
President Nixon’s visit ran from February 21 to 28, 1972. Nixon was the first U.S. president to visit mainland China while in office, according to Wikipedia’s page on the 1972 visit and the Office of the Historian.
The sporting exchanges continued the next spring. In April 1972, a Chinese table tennis delegation led by Zhuang Zedong visited the United States on a good-will tour, according to the Office of the Historian. Sources disagree on the exact dates of that tour.
Formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1979. The Office of the Historian says the Shanghai Communiqué’s principles “provided the basis” for establishing those formal ties. Zhuang Zedong’s Wikipedia entry also notes that formal diplomatic ties began that year.
Ping Pong Diplomacy in Forrest Gump
Ping pong diplomacy appears in the 1994 film Forrest Gump. In the film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, Forrest “competes against Chinese teams in ping-pong diplomacy,” according to the Forrest Gump Wikipedia entry. Forrest is a fictional character and took no part in the real exchange between the United States and China.
Play Ping Pong at SPIN
At SPIN, we are the original ping pong social club, and our flagship started in New York City about 15 years ago. Today, we operate eight venues across seven cities. Every venue centers on ping pong, with a full-service restaurant and craft cocktail bar.
Guests play with Stiga paddles and unlimited balls, and staff keep ball baskets stocked during events. Coworkers and friends will enjoy ping pong and great food together. Private events are available for any group size.
Party planners at each venue handle your event so that you can relax and enjoy. To reserve tables for your group, choose your venue to book your visit.
The Bottom Line
A missed bus at a 1971 table tennis tournament opened a public channel between two governments without official ties. Formal diplomatic relations followed in 1979.
This account would change only if new primary records came to light. To keep reading, see how table tennis became a global sport, or book a table at a SPIN venue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was ping pong diplomacy and why was it important?
Ping pong diplomacy was the 1971 to 1972 exchange of table tennis teams between the United States and China. The Office of the Historian reports that it provided a public face for more serious diplomatic negotiations that brought President Richard Nixon to China in 1972. Formal diplomatic relations between the two countries followed in 1979.
When did ping pong diplomacy happen?
Ping pong diplomacy took place between 1971 and 1972. The U.S. team visited China from April 10 to 17, 1971, after receiving an official invitation to travel to China and play. In April 1972, a Chinese delegation led by Zhuang Zedong visited the United States on a good-will tour.
How did ping pong diplomacy start?
It started when American player Glenn Cowan missed his bus after practice and boarded the Chinese team’s bus at the 1971 World Championships in Nagoya, Japan. Chinese player Zhuang Zedong greeted Cowan and presented him with a silk picture of the Huangshan Mountains. Two days later, the U.S. team received an official invitation to visit China.
Which president was involved in ping pong diplomacy?
President Richard Nixon was involved in ping pong diplomacy. On July 15, 1971, Nixon announced on live television that he would visit China, according to Wikipedia’s page on the 1972 visit. His visit took place from February 21 to 28, 1972, making him the first U.S. president to visit mainland China while in office.
Who was Glenn Cowan?
Glenn Cowan was an American table tennis player who competed at the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. There, he boarded the Chinese team’s bus, where Chinese player Zhuang Zedong greeted him. Cowan died on April 6, 2004, according to his Wikipedia entry.
Was Forrest Gump part of ping pong diplomacy?
No, Forrest Gump was not part of ping pong diplomacy. The 1994 film Forrest Gump shows the fictional title character competing against Chinese teams in ping-pong diplomacy. The real exchange involved actual athletes, including American player Glenn Cowan and Chinese player Zhuang Zedong.
