We were welcomed at the huge auditorium with elementary and middle school children waving and cheering us. Stepping onto the grand indoor court felt surreal and fueled my eagerness for the game. Not long after, we were introduced to our Tsinghua counterparts that we would pair up with for 5 games of mixed doubles. We were also graced with the presence of many honorable guests including Liang Gelliang, witness to the original Ping Pong Diplomacy and winner of 6 gold medals. In addition, Xu Chenhao and Zhang Xiangyu, current table tennis champions also attended the event. 

I hit it off immediately with my partner Hong Bo. Having learnt table tennis from Chinese coaches in the past, I was comfortable speaking in Mandarin as we strategized and warmed up for our matches. Hong Bo later told me that he had also brushed up his English for the past 2 weeks and brainstormed how to use body language in case to get his point across. He was also very excited to meet UVA students. In fact, his first travel to the US will be in May when he goes to Tennessee in May for the 15th International Particle Accelerator Conference. 

As the matches started, we were directed to our table. Both of us played with much chemistry as we communicated with hand signals under the table before each point. The 5 games went by too fast and I found myself yearning for more interactions and games with the Tsinghua team. I hope we will get to do more in the future. 

The school kids cheered us on and even played table tennis with us!

At lunch in the national art museum in Tsinghua University, we were joined by Professor Liu, an architecture professor at Tsinghua who showed us the rotunda of UVA and Tsinghua and the connection between the two universities through W. W. Yen. 

We ended the campus tour of the university at Schwarzman College, where we celebrated the opening of a ping pong diplomacy exhibition followed by a panel on intercultural communications and challenges. The panelists included 3 students from UVA who are studying in China and 3 Chinese students including Bo who have studied in the U.S. As an international student myself, it was insightful to hear about their experiences and journeys as I reflected on mine. 

We concluded the day with a dinner with Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. A delightful surprise awaited us there - an enchanting performance by the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts including my favorite 变脸 (face changing). We reciprocated their generosity by performing The Good Ole Song before savoring a delicious buffet dinner. 

Undoubtedly, the highlight for me was the matches with Tsinghua. I have been looking forward to this for a long time and now, I am even more excited for the upcoming game in Shanghai. 

-- Yihui Yap