海角大神

For nine days the choir at Lincoln High School in Tacoma had learned to sing 鈥淥n the Fields of Hope,鈥� a ballad made popular in China by Peng Liyuan, the wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping.聽

What鈥檚 more, the American students learned to sing the song in Mandarin.聽

Now, hours before the arrival Wednesday of China鈥檚 first couple at the school 鈥� part of President Xi鈥檚 effort to connect with ordinary Americans during his US visit 鈥� choir members at Lincoln nervously anticipated performing for Peng, a folk singer who was once more famous in China than her husband.

As it turned out, the Chinese leader and his wife were an easy audience.

Xi arrived at Lincoln, strolling past students waving Chinese and American flags. He stopped to watch the football team practice, where he was given a gift football. Then Xi visited an AP Government class where he reiterated his main message: Build bridges between the US and China, gain a deeper understanding of each other, and ensure a 鈥渂right future鈥� for relations between the two countries.

Finally, the choir performed 鈥淥n the Fields of Hope鈥� to booming cheers. Xi then revealed a set of gifts for the school: Books on Chinese history 鈥� and a ping-pong table.

鈥淧ing-pong balls are much smaller than the American footballs,鈥� he explained. 鈥淏ut they have very big implications for the US-China relationship [...] They helped to reopen the exchanges of China and the US and from then on China-US relations have entered into a new phase.鈥�

The president also to study in China next year. On Friday, Xi and Peng will be feted at a White House state dinner.

Sister-city ties聽

Xi鈥檚 30-mile drive from Seattle to Tacoma rekindled a relationship forged 22 years ago. At that time, Xi traveled to Tacoma as Communist Party chief of the southern Chinese port city of Fuzhou. A year later he oversaw the signing of a sister-city relationship between Tacoma and Fuzhou.

鈥淭hese personal contacts are unique to Xi,鈥� says David Bachman, a China specialist at the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. 鈥淚n contrast to earlier Chinese presidents, he had some limited contacts in the US in his early career.鈥�

鈥淸Xi] wants to show that it鈥檚 in everyone鈥檚 interest to maintain these kind of ties at the people-to-people and official-to-official levels,鈥� says Prof. Bachman. 鈥淗e sends the message that China鈥檚 most powerful leader doesn鈥檛 forget the people he had contact with and values meeting with ordinary Americans.鈥�

The visit to Tacoma echoed Xi's trip to Iowa in 2012, when, as vice president, he sought out the family he had stayed with on a 1985 agricultural exchange trip.

Earlier Chinese presidents sought to forge bonds with ordinary Americans: President Jiang Zemin in 1993. But he had no personal connection to the family.

Xi's message is carefully crafted to reach both American and Chinese audiences, analysts say.

Pomp and substance

Since becoming president in 2013, Xi has聽amassed more power than any Chinese leader since reformist Deng Xiaoping. He has launched a massive anticorruption campaign, initiated a robust island-building program in the contested South China Sea, and overseen a wide clampdown on civil society groups in China.

At home Xi is dogged by a sputtering economy while middle class Chinese are demanding cleaner air and better health care.

鈥淴i is keenly interested in using the summit to showcase himself as a strong leader, and having Chinese citizens perceive the summit as a harmonious meeting between equals,鈥� the Los Angeles Times wrote.

"The pomp in this is going to be every bit as important as the substance," said Christopher Johnson, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington聽.

At Lincoln High, senior wide receiver Alvin Johnson, gave Xi a football after he observed their practice. Alvin said that Xi told him football isn鈥檛 popular in China yet. But the president added that, with a 1.3 billion-plus population,聽he was sure once football becomes popular in China it will be a very important force. Then he聽complemented the Lincoln players and said he was sure some stars would emerge from among them. [Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated Xi's comments.闭听

鈥淚t didn鈥檛 hit me how big of a deal it was until the president and his entourage came in and everyone kept flowing in,鈥� Alvin said. 鈥淚t took a while for it to sink in. When he was talking to us, I realized he鈥檚 a pretty cool guy, he has a lot of power.鈥澛�

Chelsea Sheasley works for Tacoma Public Schools. She is a former Asia editor聽for 海角大神.