Sign-In
Cart
Paddles & Politics: Ping-Pong Diplomacy Revisited
Paperback
Racket SportsChinese HistoryInternational Relations
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9781923570535
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Aug 13 2025
Pages: 204
Weight: 0.62
Height: 0.43 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
In April 1971, a small white ball crossed more than just a net-it crossed one of the most impenetrable political divides of the twentieth century. When American and Chinese table tennis players met in Japan and exchanged unexpected gestures of friendship, they set off a chain reaction that would change the course of global politics. What began as an unplanned encounter became an opening act for one of the most significant diplomatic thaws of the Cold War.
Paddles & Politics: Ping-Pong Diplomacy Revisited tells the complete, fact-based story of how sport became an instrument of statecraft between two nations locked in decades of silence and suspicion. From the tense geopolitical backdrop of the Cold War to the unlikely decision of Chinese leaders to welcome the U.S. team, this book traces each match, handshake, and meeting that paved the way for President Nixon's historic 1972 trip to Beijing.
Drawing on documented accounts, this narrative brings to life the players, politicians, and events that transformed table tennis from a leisure pastime into a symbol of hope, cooperation, and strategic change. It is a testament to the enduring idea that sometimes the smallest gestures-a paddle offered, a ball returned-can bridge the widest divides.
Also from
Romano, Gigi
The Beginner's Gym Machine Guide: Confidence, Form, and Simple Workouts Without Free Weights
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Strength Training for Women: Muscle, Confidence, Bone Health, and Real-Life Power
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Beginner's Guide to Strength and Nutrition: Training, Protein, Recovery, and Consistency
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Trail Running World: The Global Rise of Mountain Running, Ultra Events, and Off-Road Endurance
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Red and Black Forever: AC Milan, San Siro, and the Making of a Global Football Icon
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Blue Moon Rising: The Definitive History of Manchester City in English Football
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Flag Football Boom: How a Fast, Inclusive Game Became the Future of Football
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Rugby League Story: Thirteen Players, Northern Roots, and the Working-Class Game
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Longevity Fitness Plan: Strength, Cardio, Balance, Mobility, and Recovery for Later Life
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Trentside Glory: The Complete Story of Nottingham Forest's Rise, Struggles, and Return
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Bowl Season: Tradition, Television, and the Strange Glory of College Football's Postseason
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Trading Card Boom: Rookie Cards, Collectors, Grading, and the Return of Sports Card Culture
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
North London's Double Season: An Independent History of the 1960-61 League and Cup Triumph
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Functional Fitness Era: How Strength, Endurance, and Community Training Changed Modern Exercise
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Almost Champions: Stories of athletes and teams who came painfully close to greatness but fell short
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Walking and Weights Method: Simple Fitness for People Who Hate Complicated Plans
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Recovery Manual: Sleep, Rest Days, Deloads, and Why Progress Happens Between Workouts
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Zone Two Habit: Easy Cardio, Patience, and Building Fitness Without Burning Out
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Knights of the Red Cross: Malta's Long Football Journey without a Breakthrough
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Women's Sports Moment: Crowds, Investment, Media, and the Fight for the Main Stage
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Ashes Machine: Cricket, Rivalry, Memory, and the Longest Fight Between Bat and Ball
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Crescent and the Crowd: Turkey's Emotional Rollercoaster of a National Team
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Fortress on Cold Blow Lane: 140 Years of Heart, Fury, and Resilience in South London Football
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Elm Park to the Premier League: The Long Rise, Falls, and Fight of a Berkshire Football Club
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Forged in East London: The Complete Story of a Football Club Built on Grit, Glory, and Generations
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Black and White Legacy: A Comprehensive History of a Football Club, a City
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Albion Story: West Bromwich, The Hawthorns, and a Football Club Through the Ages
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Easter Road Story: A Football History of Edinburgh, Leith, and the Hibs Spirit
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
World Cup Dynasties: Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and the Making of Great Football Nations
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
The Beautiful Game's Biggest Rivalries: Historic Feuds, Iconic Matches, and Football's Greatest Divides
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Rome's Sky-Blue Eagle: A Fact-Based History of the Eternal City's White-and-Sky-Blue Football Legacy
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Claret, Amber, and Fir Park: The Story of a Team, a Town, and a Scottish Football Legacy
Romano, Gigi
Paperback
Also in
Chinese History
Hostage on the Yangtze: Britain, China, and the Amethyst Crisis of 1949
Murfett, Malcolm H.
Hardcover
China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power
Kristof, Nicholas D.
Wudunn, Sheryl
Paperback
The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth
Niarchos, Nicolas
Hardcover
The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet
Liu, Yi-Ling
Hardcover
The Next China Is Still China: An Insider's Playbook for Winning in the New Era
Ngai, Joe
Leung, Nick
Hardcover
When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail
Dolin, Eric Jay
Paperback
The Shortest History of China: From the Ancient Dynasties to a Modern Superpower - A Retelling for Our Times
Jaivin, Linda
Paperback
The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China
Kaufman, Jonathan
Paperback
A Brief History of China: Dynasty, Revolution and Transformation: From the Middle Kingdom to the People's Republic
Clements, Jonathan
Paperback
The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of XI Zhongxun, Father of XI Jinping
Torigian, Joseph
Hardcover
Why Ancient Chinese Political Thought Matters: Four Dialogues on China's Past, Present, and Future
Bell, Daniel a.
Hardcover
From Frontier Policy to Foreign Policy: The Question of India and the Transformation of Geopolitics in Qing China
Mosca, Matthew
Paperback
Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War
Platt, Stephen R.
Paperback
Beyond the Pass: Economy, Ethnicity, and Empire in Qing Central Asia, 1759-1864
Millward, James A.
Paperback
Mao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-62
Dikötter, Frank
Paperback
The Story of China: The Epic History of a World Power from the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream
Wood, Michael
Paperback
Collected Writings of Chairman Mao: Volume 3 - On Policy, Practice and Contradiction
Zedong, Mao
Tse-Tung, Mao
Paperback
Kingdom of Characters (Pulitzer Prize Finalist): The Language Revolution That Made China Modern
Tsu, Jing
Paperback
The Man Awakened from Dreams: One Man's Life in a North China Village, 1857-1942
Harrison, Henrietta
Paperback
Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future
Brown, Kerry
Hardcover
21 Claves Para Entender China En El Siglo XXI / 21 Keys to Understanding China in the 21st Century
Díaz Marro, Adrián
Paperback
Red Star Over the Pacific, Third Edition: China's Rise and the Challenge to U.S. Maritime Strategy
Holmes, James R.
Yoshihara, Toshi
Paperback
The Struggle for Taiwan: A History of America, China, and the Island Caught Between
Khan, Sulmaan Wasif
Hardcover
Breaking the Chains: Gender, Context, and the Politics of Writing in Modern China
Limin, Dong
Paperback
Foundations of Chinese Civilization: The Yellow Emperor to the Han Dynasty (2697 BCE - 220 CE)
Liu, Jing
Paperback
Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution
Zia, Helen
Paperback
The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu: The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defense, Health, and Enlightenment
Kit, Wong Kiew
Paperback
激流者: 陆海空抗战老兵口述历史合集
赖恩典
Paperback
Storming the Heavens - Peasants and Revolution in China, 1925-1949 - Viewed through a Marxist Lens
Clegg, Jenny
Paperback
China's Military Modernization: Assessing China's Weapons and Strategic Reach in the Early 21st Century
Boufesis, Alexandros
Paperback
The Fox Spirit, the Stone Maiden, and Other Transgender Histories from Late Imperial China
Sommer, Matthew H.
Paperback
The Art of War for Language Learners: A Bilingual Chinese-English Modern Edition of China's Greatest Classic: Sun Tzu's The Art of War (孙ड
Robson, Huw
Ling, Ling
Tzu, Sun
Paperback
This World in a Teacup: Credit, Taste, and Power in the U.S.-China Tea Trade, 1784-1911
Du, Dan
Hardcover
我所认识的顾准（吴敬琏作序）
徐方
Paperback
A Geek in China: Discovering the Land of Bullet Trains, Alibaba and Dim Sum
Christensen, Matthew B.
Paperback
The Scythian Empire: Central Eurasia and the Birth of the Classical Age from Persia to China
Beckwith, Christopher I.
Paperback
The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom
Winchester, Simon
Paperback
Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power
French, Howard W.
Paperback
The Transpacific Chinese Diaspora: Migration Networks from China to Canada and Beyond, 1788-1898
Chen, Zhongping
Hardcover
China Whisperers: The Voices That Have Shaped America's Views of Its Chief Geopolitical Rival
Kaplan, Robert D.
Hardcover
顶残: 中国市场和产权的构造及逻辑
吴思
Paperback
心路: 平凡不平淡的人生
林慕荆
Paperback
Islam and Maoism in Southern Yunnan: State Violence and Resistance, 1949-2024
Wang, Xian Aubin
Paperback
The Woman's Messenger: Evangelical Literature and the Missionary Movement in Republican China
Zhou, Yun
Hardcover
Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Warfare in the Chinese World from 189 to 238 CE
Sverdrup, Carl Fredrik
Paperback