Spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy lives on

"I was so fortunate to be on the US national team in 1972 when the Chinese team came here," Dell recalled. "They sent legends here, including Zhuang Zedong, Li Furong, Zhang Xielin and Zheng Huaiying ... We were so fortunate to have these people and we were able to travel with them.

"I totally agree that ping-pong is a bridge to help people know the world and know people from different communities."

Having got to know the legendary players of the Ping-Pong Diplomacy era, Sweeris became friends with Liu Wei, a former world champion and now a professor at Peking University. Through table tennis, he witnessed the changes that have taken place in China over the past decades.

As the coach of Peking University table tennis team, Liu said the team was on a mission to pass on the spirit of Ping-Pong Diplomacy. By recounting the stories of that period, she hopes to extend the legacy of Ping-Pong Diplomacy.

In Liu's eyes, the essence of Ping-Pong Diplomacy lies in "friendship first, competition second".

"It is about the continuity of friendship," she said. "It will be passed on to the next generation through the medium of table tennis. One of the driving forces behind this continuity is the shared love for this sport by the people of both China and the United States."