(CNN) -- An image of the new United States ambassador to China trying to buy a coffee at an airport in Seattle has caused a stir in his adopted country. Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke was snapped by a passing Chinese traveler on August 12 at a Starbucks coffee shop without any security and carrying his own backpack as he waited with his family. The traveler immediately uploaded the picture, taken on his iPhone, to Chinese micro-blogging site, Sina Weibo, where it was picked up by bloggers and the mainstream media alike in China. Within two days the image was re-posted more than 40,000 times.
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Gary Locke named as the new U.S. ambassador to China
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Former U.S. commerce secretary pictured by passing Chinese traveler
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Locke was at Starbucks without any security and carrying his own backpack
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Bloggers impressed by his understated style compared with Chinese diplomats
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They appeared to be impressed by the understated envoy's low key approach, which is in stark contrast to the tight security that typically follows senior @placeholder diplomats.
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"This (Locke) is the model government official figure @placeholder citizens wish for because China doesn't have officials like this," wrote one.