News in Brief: ‘I Can’t Believe We’re in China’

Student Experience

News in Brief: ‘I Can’t Believe We’re in China’

January 9, 2024 • By Mike Mather, mike.mather@virginia.edu Mike Mather, mike.mather@virginia.edu

Collage of images from the table tennis team's travels

A dozen UVA students are retracing the path of the 1971 U.S. table tennis team’s visit to China and learning about a historic, if unlikely, diplomacy breakthrough. The UVA trip is part of a J-term course. (Contributed photos)

It was 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 3 when University of Virginia student Paul McKissock took stock of his surroundings.

“I can’t believe we’re in China,” he said to himself. McKissock is one of a dozen UVA students who embarked on an educational journey – and experience – of a lifetime. As part of a January Term course, the students are retracing the steps of the 1971 United States table tennis team.

That 1971 team was in Japan playing in an international match when a U.S. player missed the shuttle to the venue. He hopped on another bus that, it turned out, was carrying the Chinese national team. The American player struck up a quick friendship with a Chinese champion and, long story short, the encounter led to a thawing of international relations and President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing.

The J-term students are traversing China, recreating the path the 1971 U.S. team took on a goodwill tour at China’s invitation. “Pingpong diplomacy,” as it was called then, revealed how athletes can sometimes soothe complicated international relationships in ways bureaucrats cannot. Along the way, the Wahoos will dig deeper into the power of sport to bridge gaps while they visit some of China’s most important cultural centers and sites – and, of course, play some table tennis.

On Jan. 1, the UVA students traveled from Charlottesville to Dulles International Airport and then to San Francisco. Finally, after a 15-hour flight, they landed in Hong Kong.

On the first day in China, McKissock and his fellow Cavaliers forged their own “pingpong diplomacy.” With a little time before the first lecture, they wandered into a pingpong store and struck up a friendly conversation with the shop owner. The store owner let them play on the shop tables, normally reserved for practices, and one of the Wahoos, Abdallah Aljerjawi, had his eye on a paddle, and bargained for more.

“This moment encapsulated to me what this visit is all about,” McKissock . “Two people who previously would have nothing in common found a common passion through sport. After tense negotiations, they struck a deal and Abdallah got a free case for his paddle.”