The Bushes celebrated Chinese New Year in Houston in 2016. WANG HUAN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE
'People stare at you'
Most Chinese at that time had no contact with foreigners, especially those from the U.S.. The Bushes attracted a lot of attention when they were out on the streets, either riding their bicycles or walking their dog, Fred.
Bush described his life among the Chinese at the time: "People stare at you. Gather around the car. Look at you. Once in a while smile. No hostility but tremendous curiosity."
Unlike his predecessor, David Bruce, Bush soon changed the policy at the USLO, where the State Department had issued instructions not to attend different embassies' national day celebrations — events that would allow him to mingle with Chinese diplomats and officials.
Bush, who wanted to build more contacts, went against the instruction, becoming a fixture on the diplomatic scene. His schedules included many meetings, dinners and sports events with counterparts from different countries.
He did not realize that the friends he made in the mid-'70s would one day be leading China at the same time he became U.S. president. He described the friendship he made with Deng Xiaoping as very valuable during his presidency, especially at the end of the 1980s when relations hit rock bottom.
While taking some criticism back home for not being tough on China, Bush believed he made the right call, and his long history with Deng and the other leaders made it possible for the two governments to work through crises without derailing China-U.S. relations.
"I was a big believer then, and still am, that personal diplomacy can be very useful and productive," he wrote.
The Bushes kept traveling to China over the decades, including 22 visits after his presidency. They witnessed the country's great transformation. Bush liked to quote his wife as saying, "Over the years, through our many visits to China, we've seen the country go from black and white to Technicolor".
Bush returned to China in August 2008 as honorary captain of the U.S. Olympic team.
"It will be one of the greatest thrills of my life to help represent my country, which I love so much, in a country that over time I have grown to admire and respect," he wrote in the preface to his diaries, which were published some months before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"And yes, I love the Chinese people. One of my dreams for our world is that these two powerful giants will continue working toward a full partnership and friendship that will help bring peace and prosperity to people everywhere."
Shen Dingli, a professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University, Shanghai, described Bush as "the best U.S. president of our time, for his great statesmanship and humility" and "a man who has an irreplaceable standing in China-U.S. relations".
Shen was an Eisenhower Fellow in 1996 when Bush served as chairman of the Eisenhower Exchange Foundation. When the Chinese fellows visited the newly completed George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Texas A&M University, they had a meeting with Bush and his wife, who recalled their fond memories of the USLO in Beijing.
Jan Berris, vice-president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, also met with Bush many times. Bush was on the board of the committee briefly after he returned from the USLO.
Berris, who worked on U.S.-China relations for more than 45 years, said the words that first come to her mind about Bush are "decency" and "thoughtfulness" — which have been used repeatedly in many tributes to him in recent days.
"President Bush never received the credit and respect he should have while in office; but historians, as well as the American people, are now reassessing his role," Berris said.
"I believe his service to our country, in so many different roles, will now be seen in a more honored and respected light."
