21 February 1972 · Colour photographic negative
President Richard Nixon and Premier Chou En-Lai shake hands on arrival in Peking
Byron Schumaker, White House Photo Office
Why it matters
The handshake became a compact image of the diplomatic opening, but it did not yet represent full recognition or normalisation. Its importance lies in the changed position of the People’s Republic: no longer only photographed, mapped, or estimated from a distance, it receives and addresses an American president.
- Publication
- Nixon White House Photographic Office Collection
- Holding institution
- Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- Shelfmark
- WHPO-8498-17; NARA ID 66394264
Schumaker, Byron. President Richard Nixon and Premier Chou En-Lai Shake Hands at the Nixons’ Arrival in Peking, China, 21 February 1972. White House Photo Office, WHPO-8498-17. Richard Nixon Presidential Library.
