Nixon's China visit, 50 years on: 'New Chinese thinking, new ways of doing things and a new world'

A 1972 photo shows China's Chairman Mao Zedong (left) welcoming US President Richard Nixon in Beijing during Mr Nixon's visit to China. PHOTO: AFP
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BEIJING - In 1971, when Madam Yu Aihong heard the news that America's President was visiting China, the healthcare worker, then 20, was shocked and confused.

She had until then only known the United States as an evil imperialist and China's bitter enemy; such proclamations were plastered on banners and posters all over the country.

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