In 1972, diplomacy unfolded with a paddle, and even a change of wardrobe. While China's table tennis team arrived in disciplined "Zhongshan suits," and American star Glenn Cowan brought his trademark hippie style of bell-bottoms and tie-dye, one Chinese player chose to break from tradition.

Liang Geliang, a key figure in the historic China-US ping-pong diplomacy, still remembers the nerves of meeting Richard Nixon in the White House Rose Garden, and the bold moment he swapped his team tracksuit for a Western-style suit, symbolizing a new chapter of connection between the two countries.