Bear Hug

[Ian_Lee]

When I watch the news on CCTV, the image that really makes me get goose bump is the bear hug extended to foreign dignitaries by Beijing leaders.

Such hot gesture is very un-Chinese (handshake is also un-Chinese but at least it won't get you goose bump).

The most comical image was Jiang Zemin bearhugging with Fidel Castro. After embracing each other, both heads turned outward unnaturally (probably Castro was afraid of Jiang's garlic odor or SARS while Jiang dreaded his smooth face skin hurted by Castro's long beard).

Moreover, their facial expression perfectly fits the Chinese idiom of "Skin laughing but muscle not laughing".

Another comical gesture I recalled was Mao bearhugging with Kruschev.

However, such really intimate and non-Confucian gesture is usually reserved for brotherly governments like the leaders from Communist-led North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba.

But Beijing leaders also bearhug with leaders from former Communist countries like Putin.

However, in more widely attended international arena like APEC, Beijing leader just handshake with every other leader (including Vietnam's).

Hmm....If Hu bearhugs with Bush, I bet it will make front page cover on Time and Newsweek!

In meeting with leaders from HK and Macau, Beijing leaders also only shake hand with them with light soothing on their shoulders by hand (probably means encouragement/appreciation).

But such body gesture is much less "hot" than what Kim Jong Il can enjoy.

Does that mean Kim Jong Il is more intimate than Tung Chee Hwa in the eyes of Hun Jintao?

After all, for God's sake, can our Beijing leaders revert to the traditional Chinese way of saying hello to foreign dignitaries by slightly bowing to each other?

[Guest cavebear]

Agree.

I was never used to the kissing and hugging in the western world.

Maybe Jiang is as he studied in Russia.