Chinese internet astonished by US Ambassador

"It almost defied belief".  The internet buzzed in China when Locke's family carried their own bags from the airport and were driven away in a minivan. A picture circulated showing him buying his own coffee at Starbucks before he boarded in Seattle. This generated thousands of comments on the internet.    Chen Weihua, writing in the China Daily, said that while to most Americans this would not be out of the ordinary, to Chinese people "the scene was so unusual it almost defied belief".

"In China even a township chief, which is not really that high up in the hierarchy, will have a chauffeur and a secretary to carry his bag," he said in an editorial headlined "Backpack makes a good impression".     "Why was there no one to buy a coffee for the boss?" many Chinese

Gary Locke, pictured in Seattle,
ordered coffee with his daughter 

and carried his own pack.

netizens asked.

Obama arrived in China
holding his own
umbrella (gasp).

Biden is admired too.  He laughed at himself during a state interview and ate noodles at a family run restaurant.

President Obama too:
When he came off the plane last year holding his own umbrella in the rain,  many people didn't believe it was really him.

Wihua's conclusion: "Perhaps it is time for Chinese dignitaries to follow the example of humble Locke".