Serendipity May Play a Role in Bushes’ Dash Across Asia

Will Barbara Bush breeze down a street in China on a bicycle?

Although almost anything could happen when President Bush and the First Lady travel to Japan, China and Korea next week, the only thing unlikely to happen is for them to get much sleep during their trip.

For the Bushes, who lived in China in 1974 and 1975 when George Bush was the U.S. envoy there, the foray represents a kind of homecoming, as well as a chance to define their style to the rest of the world.

The trip will include the Bushes’ attendance Friday at the funeral of Japanese Emperor Hirohito. But rather than just stop in Tokyo, Bush was eager to revisit China and pause in Korea on the way back.

In dramatic contrast to the traveling practices of President Reagan--who stopped in Los Angeles, Honolulu and Bali on the way to Japan in 1986--the Bushes figure they and the hundreds of people who travel with them can rest another time.

The outing spans six days and five nights but only three nights will be spent in hotel rooms; two other nights will be spent aboard flights between Washington and Asia, about 17 hours each way. The journey gets under way before dawn.

There is “no need” for Bush to stop and rest in Hawaii, said Alixe Glen, a deputy press secretary. “He’s able to work well on a small amount of sleep.”

Bush also possesses a flair for squeezing the most out of every minute. “There’s a refueling stop in Anchorage, and he’ll do an event during the refueling,” Glen said. “This is nothing new. He went to 74 countries as vice president and motored through them.”

A President’s foreign trips abound with symbolism, and the Bushes seem to be trying to paint themselves as kinder, gentler, but frantically energetic Americans.

Visiting Friends

In China, Bush will be “visiting his old friend Deng Xiaoping,” said Marlin Fitzwater, the President’s spokesman.

“It is very, very much a business trip in that he has long meetings with the top leaders of China, and also the traditional banquets, luncheons and dinners,” Glen said.

Because of the serious mood surrounding the funeral of Emperor Hirohito, it is doubtful that Mrs. Bush will be seen there with dancing schoolchildren or at any other festive cultural event.

But the First Lady will set out on her own in China, though “she’s probably not going to go off and see the Great Wall,” an aide said. “She’s lived there. She might do something with a literacy emphasis. She wants to do what the Chinese want her to do.”

Years of Growth

Mrs. Bush credits her years in China as a period of personal growth when she was prompted by the circumstances to branch out of her role as wife and mother. She became very interested in Chinese art, which has adorned their residences ever since. So a visit to a museum would not be a surprise.

When they lived in China, both Bushes also participated in the popular practice of riding bicycles; given their penchant for spontaneity, no one would be surprised to see either of them revive the hobby.

In what Glen claimed would be the Bushes’ “only trip down memory lane,” they plan to attend a church service Sunday at the Chongwenmen Protestant Church. The Bushes worshiped at that church when the congregation was much smaller and it was located in what is now a YWCA. The Bushes’ daughter, Doro Bush LeBlond, was baptized there as a teen-ager in 1974.

Although Bush will have a busy schedule of meetings, the personal touch will probably present itself in a variety of ways. On another trip to China, Glen recalled that Bush held up a proceeding to chat with a man he recognized to be his old driver.

The stop in Seoul will be only about five hours, and Bush will probably visit a military base, give a speech and meet with leaders. Mrs. Bush may take a separate tour.

Things have changed a great deal in Asia since the Bushes lived there. For one thing, thanks to the ever-soaring yen, the White House advance team discovered the $20 cheeseburger. (But, hey, who will have time to eat?)

Easy Entry

And no longer does the Japanese visa form contain the phrase “to attend master” in a section where travelers identify the reason for the trip. That form was erroneously passed out to hundreds of members of the White House press corps, who filled it out without batting an eye. After all, the Chinese asked them to fill out complete resumes of their professional experience--an apparent attempt to weed out spies.

But the surveillance is not expected to be overzealous.

Chinese officials “are just delighted with the visit. They’ve been very easy to work with,” Glen said.

“They’re willing to accommodate all our needs. They know to expect 400 members of the press to descend on them. They’re ordering Earth stations and satellites and 100 phones. It’s mind-boggling.”