Magnificent memories

On April 10 this year, a grand commemorative event was held at the same stadium to mark the 55th anniversary of the landmark Ping-Pong Diplomacy, with President Xi Jinping sending a congratulatory message.

On a stage set up in the center of the stadium, Liang and three other participants in the friendly matches — Zheng Minzhi from China and Judy Hoarfrost and Connie Sweeris from the US — played another brief friendly match, leading to warm applause and cheers from the audience.

"Fifty-five years ago, I played here and at that time I was just a 15-year-old girl, the youngest in our delegation. It was my first time playing in front of 18,000 spectators," said Hoarfrost.

Calling that match "both exciting and heartwarming", she noted that whether it was the US team or the Chinese team, whenever someone made a beautiful shot, the Chinese audience responded with enthusiastic applause.

"The Chinese players kindly let me win that match, but I knew that the Chinese table tennis players were world class, and I deeply understood what they often said:'Friendship first, competition second'," she said.

"I still remember the letter that I received from our Oregon state governor, it said, 'Oregon is proud of you. The exciting experiences you had will be a treasure for your whole life'," she added.

In the wake of the ice-breaking tour, US President Richard Nixon visited China in February 1972, and China's table tennis team then visited the US in April 1972.