How Ping-pong diplomacy broke the mold

In a television interview in 2002, Zhuang recalled how he hesitated before approaching Cowan on the bus, and how he fumbled in his bag to find the gift. Cowan did his own share of fumbling, but was only able to come up with a comb.

Sweeris, now 72, said: "I was on the US team when this happened. Glenn told us he was so excited to have met Zhuang, the world's greatest table tennis player, but felt bad about not having a decent gift. He went out the very next day and bought his new friend a T-shirt bearing the words 'Let There Be Peace'."

Sweeris, like most people, was unaware of the deliberations taking place at national level for the trip, but recalls vividly the hectic preparations.

"We had to get permission from the US government. Our passports, which bore the words 'You cannot enter Communist mainland China', were taken to the US embassy to have the sentence struck out with a black marker pen," she said.