50 Years Later, The Legacy Of U.S.-China 'Pingpong Diplomacy' Faces Challenges
April 10 marks the 50th anniversary of when U.S. table tennis players first visited China in a diplomatic breakthrough. But today, the political winds have shifted — in both countries.
Judy Hoarfrost remembers the day she walked into China a half-century ago.
She was 15 and the youngest member of the U.S. pingpong team, which had been in Nagoya, Japan, competing in the World Championships. Two days before the tournament ended, Team China surprised the Americans with an invitation to come to their country and play some games.
It was the height of the Cold War, the U.S. did not recognize the People's Republic of China and had no relations with it,
