BEIJING, March. 13 -- Half a century ago, six-year-old Yang Jiechi was taken to a Shanghai teahouse for the first time by his grandfather - it was a place where artists sang the five-century-old Pingtan, a combination of sweet, melodious folk songs and their commentary in the soft Suzhou dialect.

    He continued to go there often as a child. Free snacks were the major attraction, and little did he know then that the art was making a strong impression on his persona. Decades later, this ingrained artistic sense is contributing to his being a successful diplomat.

    "Now, I have come to understand the importance of traditional arts to the making of a diplomat. One can always draw strength from these arts," the foreign minister told Pingtan artist Sheng Xiaoyun, who is also a CPPCC member, on Saturday. The two sang Pingtan at a CPPCC party marking International Women's Day.

    "Yang looks exactly like the old-style intellectual from my hometown, considerate, knowledgeable and gentle," Sheng told China Daily. "Besides, he remembers every word of the lyrics and sings in a broad range of pitches."

    Yang's "soft side" has often been cited since he became the Chinese ambassador to the United States in 2000 and came under the media spotlight.

    "He is very suave, articulate and persuasive," said David Shambaugh, a professor of political science and international affairs at the George Washington University.

    But "beneath his scholarly grace, Yang is very decisive and strong-minded", said Zhao Shaohua, vice-chairwoman of the All-China Women's Federation and a CPPCC member whose delegation was received by Yang in the U.S. several years ago.

    In 1963, 13-year-old Yang was chosen by the Shanghai Foreign Language School, dubbed the "cradle of diplomats". But five years later, he was forced to leave and work in a Shanghai electric meter factory during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

    Fortunately, his teachers remembered the talented student and in 1973 he was chosen again. This time, the government sent him for two years to study at the London School of Economics (LSE) in Britain. He then joined the Foreign Ministry, and took up three posts at the Chinese embassy in Washington DC between 1983 and 2004. He became foreign minister in April last year.

    Clearly an art lover whose taste went beyond Chinese forms, Yang was the first Chinese ambassador to host classical Western music concerts at his residence, Shambaugh said.

    At yesterday's press conference, Yang revealed that he also practices calligraphy, sings Peking Opera, and plays ping-pong.

    But he wishes to "squeeze some time for reading in the evening".

    His wife Yue Aimei, a classmate at LSE, is also a career diplomat.