Backpack makes a good impression

Judging from the comments of Chinese netizens the most impressive thing about Gary Locke, the new US ambassador to China, was not that he assured China on Sunday that its trillion dollar assets are safe, nor the fact he became the first ethnic Chinese governor of a US state in 1997 or the US secretary of commerce in 2009, it was simply that he and his family walked out of Beijing Capital International Airport on Friday night carrying their own bags.

Then finding that the Cadillac sedan waiting outside the terminal only had seats for him and his wife, Locke and his family opted to use a nondescript vehicle, which I guess, was originally intended for other staff.

To many Americans, there was probably nothing unusual about this. But to most Chinese people, the scene was so unusual it almost defied belief.