Richard Nixon’s Grandson Tours China to Retrace Historic 1972 Trip
Christopher Nixon Cox, grandson of former President Richard Nixon, commemorated his grandfather's historic 1972 trip to China by retracing his visit through the country.
His entourage included more than three dozen United States dignitaries from the Nixon era, state paparazzi, and Chinese security agents. The trip loosely coincided with President Nixon's 100th birthday and showcases the Nixon administration's accomplishments as well as those of the Chinese Communist Party. According to China News, Nixon's trip was groundbreaking and considered "a diplomatic breakthrough that ended 25 years of mutual silence."
The 34-year-old Cox said, "With this visit, the United States and China come together to honor my grandfather on his 100th birthday." He added that it was a way to "celebrate another generation of friendship between our two nations."
In 1972, Nixon's trip resumed the ability of Americans to visit the People's Republic of China. The trip reestablished ties between the two countries and was called "Nixon Centennial Legacy Journey." The former president visited Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.
Cox's ten-day trip will follow the same route as his father's, 41 years ago. The delegation will hike the Great Wall, dine with Chinese officials at the Great Hall of the People, fawn over giant pandas at the Beijing Zoo, and ride the new bullet train to Shanghai.
For the aging entourage accompanying Cox, the new metropolis that is urban China is vastly different from a time when everyone donned Mao suits. "It was like you were in the 14th century," said Jack Brennan, a retired Marine colonel who accompanied the president to China in 1972.
Cox stood out in the crowded Tiananmen Square in Beijing, wearing a tailored gray suit. However, his wife, Andrea Catsimatidis Cox, 23, attracted even more attention with her bright red dress and blond hair.