乒乓球的中國故事之“乒乓外交”

Pingpong Today

當下中國的乒乓球運動

As the national sport of China, pingpong is played by almost everyone in the country. Tables for the game, often made of concrete, are found throughout parks, in communities and public schools.

作為中國的國球，乒乓球是這個國家中幾乎每一個人都接觸過的運動。無論是在公園、社區(qū)還是學校里，乒乓球臺都隨處可見。

Although many young people today in China are gravitating toward basketball, soccer, or tennis, if they can afford it, pingpong remains a fixture in Chinese society.

盡管當下中國的許多年輕人在有條件的情況下更傾向于籃球、足球或網球，但乒乓球始終都是中國社會中的一項主流體育運動。

"Chinese today have much more choice of what sports they can afford to play, but people still prefer pingpang," said Deng Yaping, one of the most celebrated Chinese players, who retired in 1997 at age 24 with four Olympic gold medals.

"Although it is a little sport, table tennis is very easy to play and does not require much space. The equipment is not expensive as well."

“當下的中國人對于他們從事什么樣的體育運動有了比過去多得多的選擇。”曾獲得過四塊奧運金牌的前中國乒乓國手鄧亞萍說道。“雖然乒乓球屬于小球，但這項運動很容易上手，并且不需要占很大的空間。乒乓球裝備也不是很貴。”

Pingpong Diplomacy

乒乓外交

From a historical perspective, the sport played an important role in China's international relations.

從歷史的角度來看，乒乓球在中國過去的對外關系中扮演了重要的角色。

In April 1971, the US table tennis team was invited to visit China. It was the first American sports delegation to visit China in years, launching the round of so-called pingpong diplomacy credited with warming relations during the Nixon administration.

1971年4月，美國乒乓球代表團應邀訪華。這是多年來美國體育代表團首次對中國進行友好訪問，自此開啟了中美兩國的“乒乓外交”。中美兩國乒乓球隊的友好往來重新打開了中美交往的大門，推動了中美兩國關系在尼克松政府時期的正常化進程。

Pingpong was "an apt metaphor for the relations between Washington and Beijing" noted a Time reporter, as each nation signaled, in turn, its openness to change.

正如美國《時代周刊》所言，對于中美兩國關系而言，乒乓球實際上是一個“恰當而巧妙的象征”，因為雙方彼此都已釋放出了意欲重塑兩國關系的信號。

（作者厲振羽，系國際主流媒體雙語體育專欄作家、中國日報網特約專欄作家）

來源：人民網