Changing China

Obama at the Great Wall

Aides say U.S. President Barack Obama really enjoys sightseeing breaks during the hectic schedules of his foreign trips, since they let him clear his head.

The blustery wind on the Great Wall on Wednesday may have helped as well, as Obama broke away from tour guides and walked alone for a few minutes to Badaling’s third watchtower.

Mao said “Bu Dao Changcheng Fei Hao Han” which can mean “You aren’t a great man until you’ve been to the Great Wall” but also implies “You aren’t a good Chinese until you’ve been to the Great Wall.”

Nixon said “I think you would have to conclude that this is a Great Wall and it had to be built by a great people.”

And Obama?

“It’s magical. It reminds you of the sweep of history and our time here on Earth is not that long and we better make the best of it.”

He hadn’t brought a camera, but he did seem reluctant to leave, instead posing for photos with American and Chinese ambassadors.

“Wonderful Tonight”

                                              By Lucy Hornby

The setting for Barack Obama and Hu Jintao’s “date night” on Tuesday was magnificent — the Gold Room in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, with its lush red carpets and elaborate murals. 

The chef was cautious, choosing a menu of chicken and tofu soup, steak and grouper without any of the spicier or exotic fare common to Chinese banquets. For the wine –  a little vin d’appellation Hebei, c 2002, otherwise known as Great Wall, gave Obama, a foretaste of his trip on Wednesday to the Great Wall itself.   And the music? The military band of the People’s Liberation Army serenaded Hu, Obama and the 150 other guests with a selection that combined keen hopes for the future with a whiff of the karaoke playbook.

“Wonderful Night” gave way to “America the Beautiful,” “We Are the World” segued into the Chinese tune “Step by Step Higher”. But then the band turned coy – “I Just Called to Say I Love You” was met with “In that Faraway Place.” The band finished off with “In the Mood” before the two went their separate ways, returning home through the chilly night and the empty Beijing streets.