I remembered feeling startled after hearing my Chinese friend mention motorcades _ with their resulting traffic diversions or blockages to allow official vehicles to pass _ exist in China.
"Are those motorcades being provided to accommodate state visits of dignitaries or other special occasions?" I asked back, thinking motorcades are used by politicians and rulers for security reasons.
"No, they do it often simply because they can," said my friend.
She is right. People in China also complain about motorcades used by bureaucrats of various levels, from county officials to provincial staff, often without any obvious reason.
My friend, who drives from her home in Beijing's suburbs to work in the city centre, recounted her experience of being locked in almost hour-long traffic jam. "I watched and watched a fleet of Audi cars pass by."
Audi is the official choice of communist officials.
All I could say was: "But your country is communist. You and your politicians are supposed to be equal, pedalling bicycles together, aren't you?"
My friend did not answer. She laughed. It was a bitter laugh.
Communist leaders in China have been portrayed in not so favourable lights recently. Forget the same old, same old labels of "authoritarian regime" and "human rights violators". The new image in the eyes of the common men and women is that of the communist leaders and government officials becoming feudal-style elites, and they look even worse with mounting news of corruption.
Social media and micro blogs are places where Chinese vent their anger against their elite leaders and the nouveau riche, even posting news about corruption among officials. Western media also keep a close watch on the lavish lifestyle of the Chinese ruling class. Apart from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and sometimes Google, the websites of Bloomberg and The New York Times have been blocked in the past couple of months since both have reported on the assets of high-ranking Community Party of China (CPC) leaders. It is not that the leaders do not grasp that people are questioning the party's legitimacy. Chinese leaders are known for being erudite about history, and being good at evaluating situations.
Perhaps the choice of books best reflects political sentiment. Usually, to understand the Chinese political psyche, books by Confucius and Mao Zedong are on the must-read list. But the latest favourite among political intellectuals is The Old Regime And The Revolution written by the late French historian Alexis de Tocqueville. The book points out that major revolutions occur not during poverty, but when economies prosper, with larger social and income distribution gaps _ it definitely sounds like China.
All I can say is that communist leaders take public sentiment seriously. If they're keen on history, it is obvious to see that emperors and dynasties always crumble when the people withdraw their "Mandate of Heaven" to rule the country.
In the major CPC meeting last month, leaders repeatedly addressed the party about the urgent need to improve wealth distribution and narrow social division. It was not just hot air and rhetoric as communist leaders took the matter of eroding public faith seriously.
Outgoing president Hu Jintao and next president Xi Jinping told party members to return to the roots of communism that advocate social equality and reducing class and income gaps.
The crucial message was the party's self-criticism. "Our party faces many severe challenges, and there are also many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved, particularly corruption, being divorced from the people, going through formalities and [bureaucracy] caused by some party officials," Xi told the media during the CPC meeting last month.
After the meeting, there has been increased news reporting, investigations and prosecutions of corrupt officials.
Early this month, Xi sent a strong message that the party is serious about reconnecting with the people. Perhaps as part of that effort, the government has already issued a new policy asking officials to slash red tape, and reduce the number of unnecessary official visits, elaborate banquets and also pointless discussions and long speeches. The policy also calls for officials to cut down on unnecessary motorcades.
Trying to set an example, this week Xi and a small entourage visited cities in China's south. It was a symbolic event as they travelled low-key, without an elaborate reception, without a large security team, and certainly without a motorcade.
So, my Chinese friend will be able to smile now. Local and international media are keeping eyes on China's new leadership and how it can combat chronic corruption and represent social equality _ it has become the country with the world's largest income gap.
China's performance on corruption has been a side story of its sterling economic performance. According to Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, this year China ranked 80th, while Thailand was at 88. Thailand was 34th in 1995 and has been going downhill ever since, while China, the Philippines and Indonesia's rankings have all improved.
It remains to be seen how China's leaders can get over their lordly, privileged lifestyle and reconnect with their revolutionary roots and stamp out corruption. If they can, the impact will benefit other countries.
But at least it seems those leaders might be able to reconnect with their own people while being stuck in the democracy that is the traffic jam. That does not sound bad at all.
Anchalee Kongrut is a feature writer for Life, currently based in Beijing on the FK journalist exchange programme.