Couple welcome Xi again

China's vice president remembered the popcorn he'd received as a parting gift — and the strong Chinese liquor he left behind. He recalled one young girl asking whether he'd seen American movies, and her being shocked when he told her he'd watched "The Godfather." And he often flashed that warm smile.

Twenty-seven years after Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met a group of Iowa farmers and business leaders during a diplomatic exchange to this Mississippi River town, the likely future leader of the world's most populous country returned Wednesday for a brief reunion to reminisce with the first Americans he ever met.

"My impression of the country came from you. For me, you are America," Xi told a group of about 16 people he referred to as "old friends."

Thomas and Eleanor Dvorchak of Zephyrhills were among those old friends greeting the Chinese vice president. In 1985, the Dvorchaks lived in Muscatine and Xi, then a member of a visiting agricultural delegation, stayed with the couple and their 15-year-old daughter. Xi slept in the bedroom of their son who was away at college. The bedroom had green shag carpeting and Star Trek character cutouts on the walls. Xi ate eggs with a spoon because his host forgot the chopsticks.

On Wednesday, the relaxed reunion took place in Roger and Sarah Lande's living room in Muscatine.

As he arrived, Xi told Sarah Lande as she greeted him on her porch, "I like your smile." Inside, he sat on a couch in front of a fireplace as the Iowa residents recalled their memories of his trip. He stood to speak — through a translator — when it was his turn and told the Dvorchaks he remembered sleeping in their Muscatine bedroom in 1985, their curious daughter who asked him lots of questions and the popcorn they gave him as a gift.

Dvorchak's husband asked whether Xi remembered the liquor he'd given them — and he did. Chinese rice wine that was very strong.

"It's inappropriate, but I love that man," a beaming Eleanor Dvorchak said after the meeting, recalling how he'd even said she hadn't aged since they last met and invited the Iowans to visit him in Beijing. "He's just such a people person. When I see him, I have so much hope for the future. I really do."

She said he seemed to be the same man he was in 1985: handsome, friendly and ambitious. And he had that same smile.

Dvorchak speculated that Xi wanted to return because volunteers in Muscatine were generous with their time as they showed the Chinese delegation their farms and the community, and invited them into their homes.

During his 1985 visit, Xi kept busy until late each day, so all he needed when he returned in the evening was peace and quiet, she said.

"My job was to provide him with breakfast and a quiet place for him to relax and think, to give him time to pull his thoughts together for the next day," she said. "It was just a pleasure to have him in our home. He was very undemanding."

The language barrier made conversation difficult, but Xi was interested in touring the home and seemed impressed with the two-car garage and large concrete driveway that had a basketball hoop, she said.

Those who attended the 45-minute reunion in the two-story Victorian home said Xi enthusiastically introduced Chinese government leaders traveling with him, shook everyone's hand and even made a few light remarks. They were struck by his charm, described him as genuine and hoped his friendly approach to Midwesterners is a positive sign for the future of U.S.-China relations.

The Landes hosted Xi for dinner when he visited Iowa in 1985 as a 31-year-old provincial Communist Party official hoping to learn about manufacturing, crops and livestock practices and raise his people's standard of living. His return to Muscatine in the middle of his U.S. trip comes as he is preparing to become party leader this fall and assume China's presidency in 2013.