Just like President Nixon’s historic journey to the People’s Republic of China, the Nixon Library is making a big move.

The Library is currently undergoing a major $15 million renovation that will transform it into a completely new, highly-interactive museum inspiring guests to take an unexpected look at the life and legacy of our 37th President.

Forty-four years ago this past week, President Nixon and Chinese Premier Chou En-lai, on behalf of the U.S. and Chinese governments, issued the Shanghai Communiqué, establishing the framework for four decades of relations between the two nations.

The Richard Nixon Foundation marked this occasion by sharing an exciting, never-before-seen rendering of the new exhibit on President Nixon’s China trip that provides a first look at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library’s new museum galleries.

The China exhibit will explore President Nixon’s longstanding vision to bring the U.S. and China together, the extraordinary lengths it took to make the 1972 trip happen and how the historic mission changed the world and still impacts us today.

Guests will relive the iconic moment when President Nixon walked down the stairs of Air Force One as the first U.S. President to ever visit China. Greeted by Premier Chou En-lai, Nixon wrote of the historic handshake, “When our hands met, one era ended and another began.”

In the exhibit, guests will:

  • Learn about the remarkable history of Ping-Pong diplomacy and its extraordinary role in the origin of the 1972 trip
  • See the intricate White House planning documents and artifacts in preparation for the trip
  • Explore photos and videos of First Lady Pat Nixon touring the Forbidden City, the Beijing Zoo and the Evergreen People’s Commune
  • Examine the outcome of the China trip and how it impacts our world today

The exhibit will serve as a vivid and dramatic reminder of the transformative nature of the 1972 trip, and the friendship and goodwill that our two countries shared during the Nixon era.

The Nixon Library is scheduled to open in October 2016.

Artwork is provided by Thinkwell Group, the global experience design and production firm that is creating the new museum at the Nixon Presidential Library. Hi-res image of the rendering available here.