Skip to Content Skip to Footer
  • About
    • From the President
    • Who We Are
    • Our History
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Corporate and Institutional Supporters
    • Individual Members
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Internships
  • Programs
    • Next Generation
    • Policymakers
    • Public Education
    • Track II Dialogues
  • Events
  • Topics
    • Economics, Trade, & Business
    • Energy & Environment
    • Governance & Civil Society
    • Military & Security
    • Politics & Foreign Relations
    • Science & Technology
    • Society & Culture
  • Resources
    • News
    • Podcasts
    • Publications
    • Videos
    • U.S.-China Essentials
    • U.S.-China Insights
  • 中文
    • 关于我们
    • 政策领导人
    • 对话和合作
    • 下一代
    • 公众教育
Home Historic First

Historic First

Ping Pong Diplomacy

Ping Pong Diplomacy

A collection of events, interviews, and photos commemorating the 50th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy.

View Program
pingpong

Table Tennis Delegation (1972)

In April 1972, the National Committee made history by hosting the Chinese Table Tennis Team in round two of what became widely known as Ping Pong Diplomacy. The watershed visit — the first-ever of a delegation from the People's Republic of China to the United States — set the Committee on its path of becoming the pre-eminent exchange organization between the United States and China.

View Program
acrobats1

Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe (1972)

Eight months after the Chinese ping pong team visited the United States, the National Committee made history again by hosting the first performing arts company from the People's Republic of China — the Shenyang Acrobatic Troupe — for a four-week, four-city tour.

View Program
philaorch1

Philadelphia Orchestra (1973) and Boston Symphony (1979) Visits to China

In September 1973, the National Committee helped facilitate the Philadelphia Orchestra's historic trip to China, paving the way for other American orchestras. The Boston Symphony followed in 1979.

View Program
mcnamara_opt

Military-Military Programs (1994)

Following a cooling of relations in the early 1990s, the National Committee revitalized the U.S.-China military dialogue, sending a group of retired four-star generals and admirals to China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in 1994 and 1996. Since then, the success of this program has continued to foster constructive exchange, in addition to inspiring other programs like the U.S.-China Strategic Security Dialogue.

View Program
ControlRoom

Municipal Administrators Delegation (1978)

The National Committee brought the first group of Chinese mayors and deputy mayors to U.S. soil in September, 1978. Led by Beijing Deputy Mayor Zhao Pengfei and Shanghai Deputy Mayor Yen Yumin, the 19-member delegation also included city planners, architects, and engineers. The visit was the first of approximately 50 exchanges the Committee has sponsored in the area of municipal and state/provincial management and planning.

View Program
Uni-presidents-1

University and College Presidents Delegation (1974)

Academic exchange with the People's Republic reached new heights as a U.S. delegation of university and college presidents visited China in 1974 and was received by then Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping.

View Program

Workshop on the Development of a Modern Banking System (1994)

At the invitation of the People's Bank of China, a delegation of American banking specialists traveled to several Chinese cities to offer workshops on the development of a modern banking system in 1994.

View Program

The Administrative Legislation Research Group (1989)

In 1989, after the National People's Congress adopted legislation that permitted Chinese citizens to sue their government, the National Committee invited a delegation of seven Chinese legal experts — responsible for drafting legislation guiding government liability — to study the American legal system.

View Program
mayors 1990 2

Zhu Rongji and the Chinese Mayors Delegation (1990)

In 1990, as Congress debated whether to renew trade benefits for China after the break over Tiananmen, the National Committee organized the first post-Tiananmen visit of a high-level Chinese delegation to the United States. Led by Shanghai mayor and future PRC premier Zhu Rongji, the delegation included former Shanghai mayor Wang Daohan and the mayors of Wuhan, Chongqing, Taiyuan, Hefei, and Ningbo — six of China's largest and most outward-looking cities.

View Program

Posts navigation

1 2

Follow Us

Support Us

The National Committee on United States-China Relations, Inc., welcomes financial and in-kind contributions. The Committee is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and, as such, donations to it are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

© 2022 NCUSCR · 6 East 43rd Street, 24th Floor · New York, NY 10017 · 212-645-9677