United States First Lady Michelle Obama continued with her week-long visit to China by traveling into Chengdu of the Sichuan province, a major city in the western regions on Wednesday.

Mrs. Obama started her tour accompanied by her mother, Marian Shields Robinson; and her two daughters, Natasha and Malia Ann, for the first-ever overseas spring break tour for the Obama kids.

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On her fourth day, Mrs. Obama subtly and indirectly revealed some political messages while doing exploratory goodwill activities.

In their four days in China, Mrs. Obama participated in the ancient art of "tai chi" but politely touched on issues related to freedom of expression.

During a visit to a public high school, the First Lady touched on issues of discrimination. But instead of highlighting discrimination issues in China, she related her experience in the past.

"Many decades ago, there were actually laws in America that allowed discrimination against black people like me, who are a minority in the United States," says the First Lady while addressing No. 7 high school in Chengdu.

"But over time, ordinary citizens decided that those laws were unfair. So they held peaceful protests and marches," she added.

The U.S. First Lady, with her charm and subtle messages, attempted to open the minds of her audience on the issues that are affecting China and its people.

During the visit to Chengdu, she chose to dine at the Zangxiang Teahouse. The restaurant is well-known in the city for its Tibetan cuisine.

The First Lady participated in Tibetan activities like turning metal prayer wheels that are seen by Tibetans as a spin to gain wisdom and merit.

Obama also received a white ceremonial 'hada' scarf. The First Lady and her party sampled various food preparations of yak meat, the only domesticated animal found in Tibet, and on the 'tsampa,' a type of bread.

The decision to dine at Zangxiang is a reflection of Mrs. Obama's inclination toward the promotion of rights for ethnic minorities like the Tibetans, whose homeland became part of China in 1956.

The 'soft' diplomacy approach of the current First Lady is in striking contrast to the more aggressive approaches of former First Ladies Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1995, and Laura Bush in 2008.

In 1995, when Clinton attended the United Nations' Conference on Women in Beijing, she proclaimed on national television that "women's rights are human rights."

In 2008, Mrs. Bush toured a refugee camp for Burmese citizens fleeing the Myanmar regime in Thailand. The government in Myanmar is an ally of China. Those actions by the former First Ladies were not acceptable to the party leadership in Beijing.

In general, the visit of Mrs. Obama was more of a fun-filled experience dedicated to her two children. The family was able to watch Chinese opera and walk through the Great Wall of China in the first four days of their visit.

While her husband, U.S. President Barack Obama, is in Europe attending a conference on nuclear security and discussing the crisis in Ukraine with his counterparts, Michelle Obama's trip to China is likewise seen as a step to boosting U.S. relations with the middle kingdom, albeit on a more subtle level.