A Chinese with only 24 hours in Washington DC would probably jog up Capitol Hill and then aim for the White House - and a presidential memorial, if it can be squeezed in. This is exactly what my Chinese friend Yuyun had in mind when she visited me in Washington.

I met Yuyun on the National Mall. Dodging blooming cherry tree branches, I pointed out the Lincoln Memorial to her. Inside, an immortal "Abe" was clutching two fasces, symbols of power. I told Yuyun that Mao's statue in his Beijing mausoleum was modeled on the Lincoln Memorial - the chairman had been an admirer of Lincoln and was thus represented in a similar armchair pose.

Yuyun appeared to favor the new FDR Memorial, which was more demure. She noticed that Roosevelt's bronze knee was shiny: Countless tourists had rubbed it for good luck. There was also a larger-than-life replica of his Scottie, Falla, which enjoyed cult status among schoolchildren.

Security in front of the Capitol, which houses the US legislative, was very tight. There were X-ray machines and metal detectors, just like in an airport. Water bottles and food were forbidden, and either had to be ditched or consumed on the spot. A dynamic, 30-something Chinese tourist, Yuyun immediately devoured her butter-mint candy and was ready for more action.

Our tour guide knew all the Capitol trivia by heart. "Where y'all from?" he queried. "Georgia? Florida? Virginia?" The thought that Yuyun might actually come from outside the 50 US states didn't occur to him. Like many Americans, he believed that the United States was, and would remain, the navel of the world - although China was catching up fast.