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It's the morning of April 10th, 1971, on a railway bridge between Hong Kong and China.

The sun is shining brightly, like an omen of good things to come.

But as a group of 15 Americans walk timidly across the covered bridge,

there's an undeniable sense of tension in the air.

They're about to do something that hasn't been done in years.

They are the first group of US citizens to visit China since 1949.

Not only that, they're set to tour the country at the express imitation of the nation's communist government.

Among them is 23-year-old US table tennis champion Connie Sweris.

She clutches her camera in one hand, her passport and the other.

Only the night before, US government officials edited the document

to allow Connie and her teammates to cross from Hong Kong into China.

But even as she's walking toward her destination,

Connie has no idea what's in store for any of them.

The trip was not planned, and there's no itinerary.

All of this has been and will be a leap of faith.

As she looks around her, Connie notices that no one's stopping to take in the view as they

cross the metaphorical bamboo curtain.

It seems like everyone around her is holding their breath, even her.

So Connie raises her camera to snap a photo, glancing around nervously in case she's

...