Shanghai Get-together 2014 Friendship First, Competition Second A story of how Ping Pong Diplomacy led to an enduring friendship over 40 years Author: Tony Eyre Awarded Second Prize in the Shanghai Get-together 2014 International Writing Competition “Friendship First, Competition Second” was a popular slogan adopted in the 1970s by the People’s Republic of China when sporting exchanges were frequently used as part of foreign-policy initiatives. The most famous of these initiatives was in 1971 when, at the 31st World Table Tennis Championships being held in Nagoya, Japan, Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai extended a surprise invitation to the U.S. Table Tennis team to visit China. England, Canada, Nigeria and Colombia were also invited but it was the invitation to the American team that became big news around the world. This was the first official contact between the two countries since 1949 and was the beginning of what became known as “ping pong diplomacy” (Pīngpāng wàijiāo) marking a thaw in Sino-American relations and leading to the visit of President Richard Nixon to Beijing in 1972. On 6 April, 1971, when news broke of the historic table tennis invitation, Nagoya’s Aichi Prefecture Stadium was abuzz with excitement. One player there that day was 19-year-old Yvonne Fogarty from New Zealand, participating in her second world championships. Little did she know that “ping pong diplomacy” would three years later take her to China as part of a New Zealand table tennis team. Yvonne Fogarty grew up in South Dunedin, a working class suburb in the South Island city of Dunedin, New Zealand. One of nine children, Yvonne took up the sport of table tennis at a young age. Her father, Bill was New Zealand Singles Champion in 1948 and her aunt Margaret, Women’s Singles Champion in 1939. In a purpose-built shed at the rear of their family home, Yvonne and her brothers and sisters were trained purposefully by their father and the family eventually set up their own club. Yvonne’s early promise as a left-handed attacking player turned to success in national tournaments, picking up a string of junior titles. Father & Coach Bill Fogarty and four of his children – Joan, Yvonne, Kevin and Maree Her success as a junior was rewarded when as a 15-year-old schoolgirl Yvonne Fogarty was selected to represent New Zealand at the 1967 World Table Tennis Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. The only catch was that she had to contribute her own travelling and accommodation costs. But in a wonderful outpouring of community support, a fundraising committee was formed under the leadership of the local mayor and the funds were raised to send Yvonne on her way. “I suppose I must have captured the imagination a bit,” she recalled. “I was just 15 and I was a local girl from a big family who had a little bit of success.” 15-year-old school girl Yvonne with her sisters Catherine and Barbara before the World Table Tennis Championships in Sweden, 1967 The World Championships in Stockholm were marked by the absence of the Chinese, most notably, Zhuang Zedong, the previous Men’s Singles Champion in the last three World Championships. China’s Cultural Revolution had spoken. But China returned to the world stage at Nagoya in 1971 and, thanks to “ping pong diplomacy”, New Zealander Yvonne Fogarty was soon to meet the Chinese National Table Tennis Team on her home soil. In July 1972 a delegation of officials, newspaper and television media and eleven table tennis players from the People’s Republic of China made a short tour of New Zealand. This was big news for a tiny country at the bottom of the world whose population back then was just under 3 million. With exhibition matches in Auckland, Lower Hutt, Christchurch and Dunedin these talented Chinese players held their audiences spellbound with their speed, skilled ball control and exhilarating back-from-the-table displays. Yvonne and her family welcome the Chinese team to Dunedin The Chinese team was of course dominant in its four matches against the New Zealanders. But often competition would take second place to friendship. This attitude was very much to the fore in Dunedin in the China v South Island clash at the University Union when 21-year old Yvonne Fogarty beat Chang Tsui- chih 17-21, 24-22, 21-18. “They knew it was my home town and they let me win. It was a bit embarrassing,” said Yvonne. The fostering of friendship was certainly made a priority on the tour and this was expressed in a simple chant sung by the People’s Republic of China delegation when they arrived at the Dunedin airport – “The small ping pong ball makes friends. We have friends all over the world.” And though none of the players could speak English, they made up for this with many handshakes and smiles during their short visit. The New Zealand public also reciprocated. An interpreter for the delegation, Lai Ya Pei remarked, “Everywhere we went, we received a warm welcome and hospitality from the people here.” As the Chinese team prepared to fly out of Dunedin, Yvonne Fogarty visited their hotel in the early hours of the morning for an emotional farewell, not knowing whether she would ever see her newfound friends again. In the meantime, 1973 was to be an eventful year for Yvonne. First there was the Commonwealth Championships in Cardiff, Wales where she got to the semi-finals of the women’s singles and as a result of her performance was ranked fourth in the Commonwealth. Then it was on to the World Championships in Sarajevo in Yugoslavia. Later in the year a Japanese table tennis team visited New Zealand. In the televised test played in Auckland, Yvonne had two singles wins against the Japanese women to help her country win the test 3-2. It was indeed a busy year. For her international success, Yvonne was named Player of the Year in her home country. 1974, the Chinese Lunar Year of the Ox (Yi-Chou) was to be a lucky year for Yvonne Fogarty. At the invitation of the China Sports Federation she was selected to be part of a New Zealand team to tour China for two weeks in March, prior to competing in the Asian Championships in Yokohama, Japan. For a New Zealand sporting team visiting Communist China, the tour was a significant and historic event. China, for so long closed off to the Western world had opened its doors again and extended the hand of friendship. And of all sports, table tennis was the bridge through “ping pong diplomacy” that led the way to the formation of new sporting, cultural and political relationships between east and west. Crossing the Hong Kong-China border by train, the New Zealand delegation of players and administrators were taken to a large reception lounge where a customs official announced, “Your baggage is cleared without inspection” – a significant gesture of welcome. The team then headed straight for Guangzhou by train for a two hour stopover before flying direct to Beijing to settle into their accommodation at the Friendship Hotel. Here they met their interpreter Mr Liu who would accompany them for the rest of the tour. On their first full day in Beijing the team had a morning visit to the Imperial Palace (Gùgōng) followed by a practice session in the afternoon and an official reception in the evening. The itinerary would involve six days in Beijing, five in Shanghai and four in Guangzhou with two matches in each city. For the matches in Beijing, the New Zealand team were scheduled to compete against the Chinese National Team and the local Beijing team. Before each contest throughout the tour, the New Zealanders were given the opportunity each morning to practice with their opponents. The Capital Stadium was the venue for the first match in Beijing against the Chinese National Team and what an overwhelming experience this proved to be. The indoor stadium was built in 1968 and hosted the historic China versus United States match in 1971. With seating for 18,000 spectators, the stadium was packed to capacity. A thunderous standing ovation from the Chinese crowd greeted the men’s and women’s teams as they paraded into the huge indoor arena. This was an unforgettable highlight for the table tennis minnows from a tiny country in the South Pacific who were pitted against the might of the greatest table tennis nation in the world. At the televised event was Foreign Minister Qiao Guanhua, a sign of the great importance attached to ping pong diplomacy. The second match the following evening was against the Beijing team at the spectacular Workers’ Gymnasium which was built in 1959 and used for the 26th World Table Tennis Championships in 1961. A capacity crowd once again rose to the occasion with enthusiastic applause. China v New Zealand at the Capital Stadium, Beijing 1974 The final two days in Beijing were filled with bus trips to the magnificent Great Hall of the People, the Ming Tombs and sections of the Great Wall of China. A visit was also arranged for the teams to go to Beijing No. 15 School where the mysteries of acupuncture were demonstrated. Friendly games of ping pong with some of the keen boys and girls provided delightful entertainment for the New Zealand players. Table Tennis fun in the classroom, Beijing 1974 “People of the World Unite!” Beijing 1974 On their final evening in Beijing, the New Zealand team experienced the wonderful hospitality of the Chinese people with a farewell dinner and presentation of gifts.