What a difference a tragedy makes.

Weeks ago, China was perceived by many all over the world as the powerful rising country of billions. Poised for its hosting of the Olympic games and fresh from the boom brought by the gradual opening of its economy, it was truly a behemoth in the eyes of many.

Nevertheless, this chinky-eyed goliath was also judged as shrewd, cunning, and cold by the global community. Adding to this negative image was the government's iron glove on Buddhist Monks faithful to the Dalai Lama and their quest for independence.

But when a devastating earthquake hit the country recently, Chinese government officials consciously or unconsciously managed to humanize the iron giant. Unlike Myanmar which severely impeded international efforts to help the country, China did the unprecedented and threw open the gates to news agencies and humanitarian groups. How could the world not empathize with the rising death toll of over 30,000, and an injured list of over 200,000?

In the game of imaging, sometimes it truly pays to be weak to be strong.