US First Lady Michelle Obama began her second day in China talking about Internet freedom and censorship before an audience of students and scholars at the Peking University on Saturday.

The topic, though decidedly "soft" as she had approached it from a personal point of view, nevertheless touches a sensitive chord among a Chinese audience that is used to having their government swoop down on any controversial discussions online or offline.

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The students at Peking University's Stanford Center, however, are much more receptive to such discussions of freedom of expression than are other Chinese citizens, and enjoyed their video-teleconference with fellow students at Stanford University in the US.

But just how soft can Mrs. Obama's chosen tack of soft diplomacy be as she experiences China for real, for the first time?

For one, her presence as US First Lady in a country that has not fully grasped nor defined the role of their own First Lady courts some form of cultural alienation, according to China observers in the US.

China's First Lady Peng Liyuan, after her marriage to Chinese President Xi Jinping, is not as prominent a public figure as other countries' first ladies are. 

Neither were the wives of previous Chinese Presidents, except for Jiang Qing, the radical wife of Mao Zedong who is credited for instigating China's Cultural Revolution.

In a socio-political structure like China's where men rule the roost, a high-profile, outspoken and powerful woman is still viewed as a sign of a decadent society and weak government.

For another, Chinese people have their own perspective of things that is largely influenced by their own unique cultural conditioning - something that can not be re-wired by either soft or hard diplomacy.

To get a sampling of this perspective, the Wall Street Journal conducted man-on-the-street interviews of Beijing residents ahead of Mrs. Obama's arrival in China.

The interviews asked random Chinese people around Beijing what they thought of the US and China-US relations, and what misconceptions Americans have about the Chinese.

Out of 10 people interviewed, six think highly of the US and its people particularly in the areas of discipline and lifestyle, while four think the US is bad, saying it always wants to play the role of world policeman.

The same people, however, are not too optimistic about China-US relations, with only two positive and three neutral comments while five think the relationship between the two countries is farcical, at best.

On the question of misconceptions, the Chinese interviewees think they are grossly misunderstood by Americans especially on the issue of human rights, but some attribute this misconception to "regional differences."

Statements made by two interviewees bode well for China-US relations:

"War isn't going to break out in the next 50 years," said one.

"America itself has been through many struggles-including the black liberation movement. Thus China should be understood and given a chance to develop over time," said another.