Spirit of unity wins in table tennis contest

Ping-Pong Diplomacy's legacy celebrated at event that brings China, US together

The Chinese team dominated the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships, which concluded on Monday in Houston, Texas, but the event is just as likely to be remembered for China's and the United States' gesture of unity.

Four of five titles were won by China, with 265 players from 56 nations competing in the championship, organized by the International Table Tennis Federation, which took place from Nov 23 to 29.

For the first time, China and the United States joined together to enter two combined teams in the mixed doubles event. One of the pairs－Lin Gaoyuan from China and Lily Zhang from the US－secured a bronze medal. It was the first medal won by the US at the championships since 1959, and also a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, which helped the normalization of Sino-US relations.