Chinese, but Not Their Leaders, Flock to U.S. Envo
Nov 13, 2011 3:43:20 GMT -5
Post by helen on Nov 13, 2011 3:43:20 GMT -5
www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/world/asia/chinese-but-not-their-leaders-take-to-ambassador-gary-locke.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
As Mr. Locke traveled on Nov. 4 to his ancestral village, Jilong, a cluster of gray-brick homes two and a half hours from this provincial capital, hundreds of people gathered on the streets of the city of Taishan, to watch as he stopped at a local kindergarten and — if they were lucky — to have their picture taken with him.
Mr. Locke was typically obliging about posing for snapshots. “He likes to be with common people,†said Wu Qiang, a 35-year-old factory worker, as he waited patiently for the ambassador’s motorcade. “He has Chinese blood, but American characteristics.â€
Taishan, a spawning ground for hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrants to the United States, seems to be the rule, not the exception. Three months into Mr. Locke’s tenure in China, his popularity among the masses separates him from his predecessors.
As Mr. Locke traveled on Nov. 4 to his ancestral village, Jilong, a cluster of gray-brick homes two and a half hours from this provincial capital, hundreds of people gathered on the streets of the city of Taishan, to watch as he stopped at a local kindergarten and — if they were lucky — to have their picture taken with him.
Mr. Locke was typically obliging about posing for snapshots. “He likes to be with common people,†said Wu Qiang, a 35-year-old factory worker, as he waited patiently for the ambassador’s motorcade. “He has Chinese blood, but American characteristics.â€
Taishan, a spawning ground for hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrants to the United States, seems to be the rule, not the exception. Three months into Mr. Locke’s tenure in China, his popularity among the masses separates him from his predecessors.