Governor Draws Crowd -- Gary Locke's Visit To Chengdu Wasn't Just A Business Trip. He Hopes China And Washington Can Expand Cultural And Educational Ties As Well

CHENGDU, China - In the midst of a preview of ancient Chinese artifacts that will get their first Western showing in Seattle in 2001, Gov. Gary Locke was shown a picture of a racy and graphic ancient stone carving.

"This shows sexual activity in the wild," the translator told Locke. "It seems to say that even 2,000 years ago, the province of Sichuan was very open."

And that's why Locke and his delegation came here today for a one-day stop on their Asia mission.

Not for racy art. But because the Washington delegation hopes an ancient history of openness translates into a willingness to do business with Washington.

Locke's Asia mission has been dominated by talk of business. But, as he said yesterday in Beijing, "I don't want to just sell things to the Chinese."

Chengdu gave him the opportunity to talk about art and education and say that China has more to offer Washington than just a marketplace.

This frontier province in China's vast interior has been known as a bastion of free thinking dating from the time of Marco Polo, who reported on events here similar to what was depicted in the stone carving.

Chengdu is the site of the first school ever built by a local government. Yesterday, Locke visited the 2,000-year-old Shi Shi School, which has had an exchange program with Snohomish High School since 1985.

The Sichuan Province has had a sister state relationship with Washington since 1982, a time of chilly U.S.-China relations when some state officials worried about being seen shaking hands with their Communist counterparts.

The Chengdu Aircraft Co. makes parts for Boeing jets. Tim's Cascade potato chips has a joint venture manufacturing Prickly Ash Hot potato chips and four other varieties.

This is the province where Zhao Ziyang introduced vast reforms now being cribbed for a national economic plan.

His work here brought him to the highest levels of the national government - only to be put under house arrest for urging negotiation with the 1989 Tiananmen Square protesters. He hasn't been seen since. Chengdu is the only city outside of Beijing where Chinese troops killed civilians during the 1989 protests. As many 300 people may have died.

During the Cultural Revolution, tens of thousands of people in the province died in some of the country's most violent and widespread revolts.

This summer, workers took to the streets in nearby Mian Yang, and in 1993 there were anti-tax riots in rural Renshou County - the site of the potato-chip plant - which helped push through village elections throughout the country, said David Bachman, chairman of the University of Washington's China Studies Program and a member of Locke's delegation.

"It certainly shows that people aren't totally cowed here," Bachman said.

Into this soup of economic reform and political independence came Locke. And he arrived with the royal treatment. Traffic was stopped at cross streets as his police-escorted motorcade sped through the city ignoring traffic lights.

At the Shi Shi School, Locke was met by 200 uniformed students holding plastic flowers and singing, "Welcome, welcome, warmly welcome" as the school orchestra played.

When Locke left, students rushed his limousine to shake his hand through the window until a police officer pushed them back.

At Chengdu Department Emporium, Locke was met by a massive welcome banner and a sidewalk jammed with people waiting for a look at him. Across South People's Road Square, a four-story-high Chairman Mao watched as Locke made his way through the mob to taste Sino-Seattle Snack Food's "Seattle style" potato chips.

Over the din could be heard a tape-recorded voice repeating a message: "Dear Governor Locke of Washington State. . . . We would like to express our best regards to you. Please kindly pass a hello to the people of Washington State."

The potato-chip factory opened in August and will eventually process 7 million bags of chips a year, said Haining Xia, CEO of Sino-Seattle Snack Foods.

"The government was willing to give it a try ," Haining said of the joint venture with a Renshou food processor. U.S. Consul General Cornelis Mathias Keur said party leaders here "are willing to do business."

"They are hoping that by being a little less bureaucratic, they can attract business that would have gone elsewhere," Keur said.

Sichuan politics may have made it possible for a snack-food craze in China. "We plan to market nationwide soon," Haining said. "This is just the beginning."