Athletes, VIPs, sports fans and officials from the United States and China gathered at a ceremony that celebrated the 53rd Anniversary of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" in Los Angeles on Sunday. 

China's six-time Olympic gold medalist Ma Long and fellow Olympic champion Liu Shiwen played friendly matches with Connie and Dell Sweeris, who were both members of the historic 1971 U.S. table tennis team that played in China, as well as young players of the current USA team, on the occasion that honored the legacy of the history-making China-U.S. "Ping-Pong Diplomacy".

The era of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" began when American table tennis player Glenn Cowan missed his team bus and was invited by Chinese player Zhuang Zedong to ride with him on the Chinese team bus during the 31st World Championships in Japan. The meeting of the Chinese and U.S. table tennis players led to an invitation from the Chinese government for the U.S. team to visit China, and this helped break the ice between the Chinese and U.S. governments at the time.

"I can feel their long-time passion for table tennis. When they were young, they knew each player in the Chinese team very well. I think the friendship has always been there," Ma said.

"It feels like I went back in time. I can imagine them competing back in the days. When we play a game, it's like the spirit of the sport has lived on," Liu added.