Players from across cultures gathered on Friday at a Manhattan table tennis club to mark the 55th anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, in a reminder of the people-to-people exchanges that once reshaped China-US relations.

Players, including former US national champions, a Swedish national team member, professional competitors, collegiate athletes, and community players, joined diplomats, legal and financial professionals at SPIN New York Flatiron.

Chen Li, China's consul general in New York, opened the celebration by recalling the "accident" that set history in motion. Fifty-five years ago, an American table tennis player mistakenly boarded the Chinese team's bus that turned into a friendly exchange, launched Ping-Pong Diplomacy, and paved the way for the first American team visit to China.

Chen recalled a motto well-known in China, "Friendship first, competition second," and said that American players at the time noticed that Chinese spectators cheered every fine shot, regardless of who won the point.

"They realized that rivals had become friends overnight. Few could have imagined that a friendly paddle volley would help turn the wheel of China-US relations," Chen said.

"The foundation of our relations was built by the people, and its future rests with our youth," Chen added. "You are all ambassadors of friendship."

Inside the club, regular customers from diverse cultural backgrounds played side by side. Among the event attendees was Rory Hayden. In 1972, at just 20 years old, she served as interpreter for the Chinese table tennis team during their first visit to the United States.