Last Updated on August 5, 2024
There is a reason why people in China are so passionate and determined to practice ping pong. In case you don’t know, China has the best top-ranked ping pong players! Ping Pong, though it might be just a sport for many of you, was the reason for American table tennis players to enter China after two decades. The Ping Pong Diplomacy allowed Americans to play ping pong on the grounds of China.
History of Ping Pong Diplomacy
For those who have no idea what ping pong diplomacy is, here is quick insight.
In simple words, it is a mere exchange of ping pong or table tennis layers between China and the United States of America.
This exchange of table tennis players between the two countries began in 1971. during the World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan.
Surprisingly it was a step taken by the ping pong players and not by the politicians.
The concept was introduced as a result of an interaction between two table tennis players from both sides, Zhuang Zedong of China and Glenn Cowan of the US.
Ping pong diplomacy was the first milestone in paving the relationship between the two countries. Since then, the relationship between these countries has changed.
Ping Pong In China

China is known to have the highest number of ping pong, or table tennis, players in the world.
The ping pong players in China are not ordinary players; in fact, China has the most professional, skilled, and experienced ping pong players.
Chinese have embraced the game of ping pong since the 1950s.
In 1950, Chairman Mao declared ping pong the national sport of China. There were mainly three reasons for declaring ping pong as the national sport of China,
- It is a cheap sport that could be played
- It does not require a large court area or big space to be played
- In the 1950s, ping pong wasn’t so popular in the West
Today, every school and park in China has a table tennis (ping pong) table.
According to a survey, around 10 million Chinese regularly play ping pong, while 300 million Chinese play their national sport occasionally!
This explains why China has the most talented, competitive, skilled, and gold medal winning ping pong players around the globe.
China has the most intensive ping pong training program unlike any other country.
On average, every ping pong player in China practices the game for 7 hours daily! Their player recruiting strategy is both amazing and ruthless.
Instead of blindly selecting the top players for the national team, Chinese authorities choose their national team players who have the potential to win a medal today or in the future.
Ping Pong Diplomacy Book

If you want to learn about the history and details of the Ping Pong Diplomacy program between China and the United States, be sure to read the book ‘Ping-Pong Diplomacy: The Secret History Behind the Game That Changed the World‘.
This book brilliantly narrates and explains all the events and circumstances that led the two countries to reach one single point ping pong diplomacy.
The author of this book is none other than the famous journalist and author ‘Nicholas Griffin.’
Griffin has depicted a historic occasion in the history of China-US diplomacy: the Chinese counterparts invited the US Ping-Pong team to Beijing.
The invitation was the first initiative to break the ice between the two states. After 22 years of conflict, both states moved towards detente.
What’s more interesting about them is how Griffin mixed their personal histories with ping-pong diplomacy.
If you are interested in reading about the strategic story of ping pong diplomacy, Nicholas Griffen’s book is the best choice.
Ping Pong Diplomacy Forrest Gump

You must have heard about the famous movie The Forrest Gump. This movie was based on a novel published in 1986 by Winston Groom, a well-known writer.
The movie’s plot revolves around a character, Forrest Gump, and the Second Indochina War.
I am mentioning this movie and its character to emphasize the importance of ping pong and ping pong diplomacy.
In the movie, Gump was shot in Vietnam, and he practised and learned to play ping pong during his recovery.
Within a short time, Gump mastered the game of ping pong, and he amazed his peer group.
After seeing his remarkable skills in Ping Pong, Gump was sent to China under the Ping Pong Diplomacy program to play as the All-American Ping Pong Team.