LIKE many of his mainland comrades, Ambassador Guo Fengmin has had an image problem. A chain smoker and no-nonsense-style diplomat, he was not known for his style. He is not the kind of man to offer a soft-sell for the TV cameras.
As the Chinese team leader of the Joint Liaison Group stationed in the enclave, Ambassador Guo has had to stand firm - and be seen to be standing firm - in defending China's policies, whether they were popular or not.
He simply could not take the chance of appearing to be soft in his 41/2 years in the territory - a far more stormy tenure than that of his predecessor Ke Zaishuo.
Scoring popularity points was of marginal significance to the 64-year-old. But behind the scenes, the seasoned diplomat was among a handful of old Hong Kong hands from Beijing generally described by China-beat journalists and government officials as a Mr Nice Guy.
He often picked up phone calls from reporters during rest time at Preliminary Working Committee meetings in Beijing, or stopped in the hotel lobby to explain patiently the Central Government's policy. His other Hong Kong and mainland colleagues simply could not be reached.
At a farewell banquet he hosted for dozens of journalists on Wednesday, Mr Guo said: 'Looking back over the past few years, we have had some bad feelings towards each other.