Nixon was the first President to establish relations with China post WW2, it was in '72. I remember I went to an exhibit in Bejing last year that focused on the anniversary of the precedings.
Here:
Quote:
Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng, and U.S. Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt, Jr. presided today in Beijing at opening ceremonies for "Journeys to Peace," an exhibition detailing President Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China. The exhibit will open in Yorba Linda on January 9 -- the 90th anniversary of President Nixon's birth.
The grand opening took place at the National Museum of Chinese History in Beijing. The exhibit will move to the Shanghai Library in December, then on to Yorba Linda, where it will be unveiled by Tricia Nixon Cox and Mrs. Eisenhower.
"Journeys to Peace" was mounted by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Nixon Library and the China Exhibition Agency, with the generous support of the Reader's Digest Foundation.
When President Nixon met Premier Zhou Enlai at Capital Airport in Beijing in February 1972, their handshake made history. There had been no diplomatic relations between the two nations since 1949. President Nixon, Chairman Mao Zedong, and Premier Zhou had all come to the same conclusion on behalf of their peoples. Neither nation could benefit from continued estrangement, while both would benefit from establishing a new relationship.
Nixon Library curator Olivia Anastasiadis installs gold horse, lent to "Journeys to Peace" by the White House. It was a gift to President Bush from Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Through original documents, rare photographs (many seen in this exhibit for the first time), and priceless objects, "Journeys to Peace" tells the story of three extraordinary leaders, their diverse paths toward the summit, and their shared goals of reconciliation, peace, and progress for their peoples.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is a film narrated by Mrs. Eisenhower and featuring never-before-seen footage of her parents' historical visit. The exhibit also includes life-sized statues of the President and Premier showing the instant of their first handshake as well as videotaped greetings from President Bush and Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
