Reports of Xi's trip to Guangdong have yet to be carried by the official Xinhua News Agency, state broadcaster China Central Television or the Communist Party-published People's Daily
newspaper.

Xi shook hands with several people after visiting Deng's statue and answered questions from Hong Kong journalists in the crowd, the South China Morning Post reported. Xi drew applause when he opened the window from his van and waved to the crowd as he left, the newspaper reported.

Xi's visit to Guangdong sets him apart from previous leaders such as Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, whose first official trips were to Communist Party “revolutionary meccas in former inland guerrilla bases,” said Willy Wo-Lap Lam, an adjunct professor of history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Deng's Philosophy
Nowhere has Deng's philosophy been more evident than in Guangdong. Xi's father, the province's governor in the late 1970s and early 1980s, implemented Deng's reforms by setting up special economic zones such as Shenzhen, which transformed from a fishing village into one of China's wealthiest cities. China posted three decades of export-driven growth as Deng's policies expanded up and down the coast.

Eoin Treacy's view Symbolism is a powerful tool in a society where the exact ideology of those in power is often shrouded in secrecy. Therefore Xi's first visit as President is likely to be viewed as an indication of how he plans to rule. Shenzhen, where his family is based, where Deng's “to be rich is glorious” speech was adopted most wholeheartedly and where today there are signs everywhere saying “When you come to Shenzhen you are from Shenzhen” is a totem for everything the opening up of the economy has come to represent.

The Communist Party has long made use of slogans to frame the way they want people to think. For Mao this was to believe in him as the supreme ruler. Deng used the image of the nation crossing the river, carefully moving from one stepping stone to the next. Xiang spoke of joining hands so we can move forward together. This practice has become less popular with recent rulers but Hu repeatedly stressed the need for a harmonious society. It is therefore poignant that in his acceptance speech Xi dispensed with loyalty to the Party rhetoric and stressed setting aside political differences so everyone could roll up their sleeves and get to work.

The ousting of Bo Xilai, who had noisily advocated a return to traditional Communist Party roots, and the ascendance of someone whose first visit was to the country's primary bastion of capitalism represents a win for the more progressive faction of the Party. When investors consider that the focus of attention is likely to turn back towards the economy and the market rather than internal wrangling, the result is likely to be bullish.