'A major difference'

Many in the northern business community believe that Xi's visit could prove to have a dramatic impact on the city.

Nick Jaspan, managing director of Prolific North, the Manchester-based media publishing and events company, said the euphoria remained after the president left on Friday. The president also visited the National Graphene Institute at Manchester University and had a selfie taken with Prime Minister David Cameron and Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero at the club's City Football Academy.

"Manchester has already been moving up the gears over the past few years, but for Xi to choose Manchester to visit is significant and could make a major difference in international perceptions."

Meanwhile, it was the relaxed style of the president and Peng Liyuan that won over many Britons.

The president looked very much at home with the regulars of The Plough at Cadsden in Buckinghamshire when he popped in with the prime minister for a pint of Greene King IPA and fish and chips.

These were the more lasting impressions, rather than accusations of Chinese steel overcapacity resulting in the announcement of 1,200 job losses at Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire and Lanarkshire in Scotland on Oct 20. This despite only 8 percent of British steel imports coming from China.

To many in the UK, Xi came across as a man with whom you can do business, as the UK government clearly intends to do.

andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn