'The ping heard round the world' revisited
Pingpong helped thaw relations between China and the United States more than three decades ago. Now the catalyst of that thaw wonders whether music can do the same for the U.S. and North Korea.
Zhuang Zedong, a three-time world champion in table tennis, also known as pingpong, faced a quandary one April day 37 years ago.
He was sitting at the back of his Chinese team's bus, waiting to drive to the stadium during the 1971 world championship in Japan.
Perhaps by mistake, a longhaired athlete got on the bus with the Chinese team. When the door closed and he turned around, the Chinese noticed the three letters on the back of the athlete's uniform: USA.
Glenn Cowan, a 19-year-old Santa Monica College student, sat in the packed bus for 10 minutes and no one dared talk to him....
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Zhuang Zedong, a three-time world champion in table tennis, also known as pingpong, faced a quandary one April day 37 years ago.
He was sitting at the back of his Chinese team's bus, waiting to drive to the stadium during the 1971 world championship in Japan.
Perhaps by mistake, a longhaired athlete got on the bus with the Chinese team. When the door closed and he turned around, the Chinese noticed the three letters on the back of the athlete's uniform: USA.
Glenn Cowan, a 19-year-old Santa Monica College student, sat in the packed bus for 10 minutes and no one dared talk to him....