Deng's trip to the United States came just four weeks after diplomatic ties established

After nearly 40 years, Kitty van Dries can still remember and pronounce the Chinese word jiayou, which translates as "go go go" in English.

It was used by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping as Van Dries took part in barrel racing at a private rodeo set up for the Chinese entourage when it visited Simonton, Texas, on Feb 2, 1979.

Barrel racing is an event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time.

On Dec 15, 1978, Beijing and Washington announced the establishment of diplomatic relations, which took effect on Jan 1, 1979. On Jan 29, 1979, Deng, then vice-premier, made a nine-day landmark trip to the United States, visiting Washington, Atlanta, Houston and Seattle.

Van Dries, who was 16 at the time, was already an accomplished cowgirl with some rodeo awards to her name. Her late father, Louie Van Dries, known as Luke, owned and operated the Round-Up Rodeo, the venue where the special event was staged.

As Deng and his wife rode into the arena in a stagecoach, Van Dries and her sister Kelly were part of the welcoming party. Van Dries carried the US flag and her sister the Chinese one.

Van Dries had been picked to present a cowboy hat to Deng as a gift, but her horse stumbled and she fell off.

"I was carried out on a stretcher. I had just had surgery on my knee and wasn't supposed to ride, but it was such a special occasion," she said on a summer afternoon in Simonton, where she has lived all her life.

Because of her fall, she was not in the arena, so her sister presented the 10-gallon Stetson to Deng.

Images of Deng wearing the hat were captured by many photographers covering the first visit by a Chinese leader to the US since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

Van Dries said that Deng sent his own physician to check on her. No serious injuries were found, and soon after her fall she sat with Deng and his wife to watch the rodeo performance. "It was pretty cool," she said.

Through a translator, Van Dries explained the rodeo events to the couple. These included team roping, bareback riding and saddle bronc riding. "They asked me what grade I was in at school and how long I had been doing this. I was a sophomore in high school at the time," she said.

Despite her recent knee surgery and fall, Van Dries left the stand to supervise the barrel racing.

"My father always said that you have to be tough in a rodeo. There has always been a bit of the cowgirl in me, and I have had five surgeries on my knee," she said.

Van Dries heard Deng and other Chinese delegates cheering her in Chinese during the barrel racing. "They were hollering jiayou ... He would holler jiayou, and it was fun to hear him pronounce it," she said.

The rodeo show lasted about 50 minutes. "There were eight to 10 cowboys for each event. The show was short, just to give him a taste of each event. A full show would last three to four hours. It was strictly a show for him," she said.

"He was having a good time. He and his wife truly enjoyed themselves from what I could see," she added.

The Van Dries family still has a needlepoint work of the Great Wall of China that was presented to them by the Chinese as a gift.

Van Dries and her family were also invited to visit China. "But I never took it up. I wish I had," she said.

Stagecoach ride

Jack Herndon, 80, who still works on a ranch, was her father's right-hand man and best friend, Van Dries said. He was highly involved in the visit by the Chinese, including helping Deng and his wife into and out of the stagecoach.

Herndon said: "It was great for me because I had never been around officials that big. I just made sure I took good care of them, helped them into the stagecoach, and when they returned, helped them get down. It was a great experience."

He was also impressed by the overwhelming media presence. "The other side of the arena was nothing but press. The telephone lines were everywhere," he said.

Orville Schell was one of the 200-plus media representatives covering the visit for The New Yorker magazine. For him, the moment Deng donned the Stetson was when Sino-US relations were finally normalized.

Schell, now Arthur Ross Director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society in New York, later wrote several books about China. In one-Watch Out for the Foreign Guests!: China Encounters the West-he described the moment Deng wore the hat.

"The whistling, cheering crowd watches with delight as Deng theatrically dons his new hat. And in one simple gesture, Deng seems to not only end 30 years of acrimony between China and America, but to give his own people permission to join him in imbibing American life and culture," Schell wrote.

Charles Foster, who was chairman of the Asia Society Texas Center for almost 20 years and is now chairman of US China Partnerships, is proud to have witnessed the moment.

Speaking in his Houston office he said: "I knew it was a historic moment, because it sort of symbolized the new China to the West. Many Chinese officials seemed dull and distant then. Yet here he (Deng) was, with a very big grin, big smile, giving a very open appearance."

Foster recalled that Deng had voiced an interest in visiting Houston because of the oil and gas technology. "He also expressed interest in visiting the space center, because he was intrigued. So Houston was penciled in on his itinerary," he said.

The visit to Simonton by the Chinese was reported across the US and shown on TV. It was a big deal for a small town covering just over 5 square kilometers and with a population of about 600 in 1979.

The visit was the talk of the town for days afterward. Van Dries was teased at school for falling off her horse, while her father received "thank you" letters from then-President Jimmy Carter and other officials.

As time passes, the significance of the Chinese visit to Simonton has become increasingly clear to Van Dries.

"It was important then, but I had no idea how significant it was until a group of Chinese media representatives came and told me a few years ago. I didn't have any idea about the effect of his trip to Texas," she said, referring to a documentary made by the group a few years ago about Deng's visit.

It was a great feeling to be part of an important historic event, Van Dries said. "I am proud, I am proud of this place, too. That is something I share when I meet people. It's important to me that people know."

She is still taking part in rodeo shows and competitions across the US. "Horses are in my blood," she said.

Round-Up Rodeo, established in 1962, was bought by Louie Van Dries in 1972. He put in a steakhouse and a barbecue restaurant at the venue. For years, it was the place to go to for dining, music, dancing and rodeo events for people in the area and nearby Houston.

The first Saturday of every month was a big music night at Round-Up Rodeo. Many musicians who played there later became big stars in US country music, including George Strait and Reba McEntire. Van Dries still has the contract signed by McEntire.

Jimmy Carter's daughter Amy visited Round-up Rodeo one night just to try her hand at a calf scramble, where calves and a larger number of teenagers are let loose in a ring. The teens try to catch, halter and coax the calves into one area of the ring.

Country legend Johnny Cash also performed at the venue.

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As times and culture change, the popularity of rodeos has declined, and the venue stopped operating in 1997. After years lying vacant, the site was bought by BenchMark Wireline, which manufactures equipment for the oil industry.

Stephen Beck, the company's CEO, said, "I didn't know the history of this place during the purchase, not until after my partner and I bought it."

On learning of the site's place in cowboy culture and Sino-US relations, Beck said the company made efforts to keep some memorabilia such as the original steakhouse counter.

Photos of the visit by the Chinese in 1979 are displayed prominently on the lobby wall at the company.

Beck said: "I met some people who have lived and worked here. Being from the west of the US and a rancher myself, I was very interested in the history and we tried to maintain a bit of it. We have tried to keep the history alive a bit."

He said the site still has Chinese connections.

"We have a Chinese employee in China. We have been selling equipment to the country for 20 years. We have three plants in the US and Britain, and all three sell to China. It is one of our biggest customers, and our clients include big names such as China National Petroleum Corp, China National Offshore Oil Corp, Sinopec and their subsidiaries."

When Beck makes a business presentation in China, he usually begins with two photos of Deng's Texas visit. "That usually catches people's attention and they go 'wow'. It's very helpful," he said.

According to Beck, throughout the year, especially when energy companies around the world converge on Houston in May for the annual Offshore Technology Conference, foreign visitors travel to the former Round-Up Rodeo site on account of the 1979 visit.

"During the time the conference is held, usually two or three delegations will visit it," he said.

Van Dries still has some China connections. Her daughter and son-in-law, who live in Stafford, a small city south of Houston, have an oil business relationship with the country.

The needlepoint work of the Great Wall given by Deng to Van Dries' family is in her brother's house, but she said she plans to give it to her daughter soon, as she believes it will help her in doing business with China.

Van Dries maintains a Facebook page of Round-Up Rodeo to remember her father's legacy and keep the site's history alive. She has uploaded many old photos for people to enjoy and reminisce over, including those of Deng's visit.

Simonton is a small town on the outskirts of Houston. Its population has risen from about 600 in 1979 to more than 800. While some people have moved, a few lifelong residents still remember the visit by the Chinese.

One of them, Pam Fitch Babineaux, wrote on Facebook: "I remember that night well. The Chinese group were having a fantastic time. They didn't know quite what to think of all of us cowgirls, cowboys and the rodeo."