Ping Pong Diplomacy
Global Cinema
Sun Tzu
"What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease. "
The Story
What if, forty years later, the United States and China merge their efforts to build the world. Henry Kissinger, “On China”
“如果40年后，中美两国协力构建这个世界将会怎样呢” ------亨利·基辛格 《在中国》
Ping-Pong Diplomacy is based on events in 1971 that led to a break of the Cold War standoff between China and the United States, culminating in Chairman Mao and President Nixon meeting.
One of the catalysts for this happening was the chance encounter and ensuing friendship of two ping pong champions, one American and one Chinese, that created a global sensation at the 1971 Nagoya ping pong tournament. Then in the midst of a flurry of political events, Chairman Mao invited the American team to China, with a visit to the Great Wall and meetings with top Chinese leaders. Soon after, these unprecedented events changed history… opening up political, cultural, and business relations between the U.S. and China.
Chairman Mao
----毛主席
“Regard a ping pong ball as the head of your capitalist enemy. Hit it with your socialist bat, and you have won the point for the fatherland.”
“把乒乓球当做资本主义敌人的头，用你的社会主义球拍击打它，你就可以为祖国赢分。”
The secret visit will shake the world.
这个秘密将震撼世界
Since Chairman Mao decreed table tennis a national game, it has defined the country.
毛主席将乒乓球定位国球，乒乓球也就定义了这个国家。
The Writer
Richard Friedenberg
Academy Award nominated screenwriter for A River Runs Through It (1992 Academy Award nomination); Snow in August (2000); and The Education of Little Tree (1997).
