Back in November 2010 when I started the China History Podcast I presented a two-part series on the visit to China in 1972 of Richard Nixon.  Those were the old episodes CHP-008 and 009.  I retired those from the back catalog and would like to present this total makeover version instead.  Here is Part 1 of a seven-part series that will come your way over the next 2 weeks. The reason I chose this topic over so many others is this. Looking at the seemingly hopeless state of US-China relations at this time in 2020, it's important to remember we were in similar circumstances before and still found a way to hold our noses and get along with each other all these years.  The US and China are racing along a dangerous path right now and maybe there's something we can learn in looking back at those years between 1969-1972. Admittedly these are vastly different times compared to then.  We can work it out. In Part 1 this time we'll get an overview of just how bad US and PRC relations were between 1949 to 1969.