Beijing rolled out a gleaming red carpet for Asia-Pacific leaders garbed in sleek, high-collared Chinese tunics as it kicked off a regional summit in spectacular fashion on Monday.
Despite their diplomatic differences Xi Jinping, US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were united in imperial purple for a group photo, with the visitor from Moscow given pride of place next to the host.
Mr Obama was also in the front row, a few places to Mr Xi's left, but Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - in green - was relegated to the back, next to New Zealand's John Key.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha (second left) and his wife, Naraporn, left, pose with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, upon their arrival for a welcome dinner hosted by Mr Xi for Apec leaders at the Beijing National Aquatics Center in Beijing Monday. (AP photo)
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who as army chief seized power in a May 22 coup, was placed at the extreme right end of the first row away from any of Apec's major power brokers. The junta leader and his wife Naraporn were placed next to Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and in front of Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang.
Australia's Tony Abbott, who has threatened to "shirtfront" Mr Putin -- an Australian Rules Football term for charging an opponent -- over the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 in rebel-held Ukraine in July, was positioned directly behind the Russian, but smiled and waved.
The leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering were driven to the dinner venue - the glowing blue Water Cube that saw the swimming events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics -along a road glowing a rich nationalist Chinese red.
Hundreds of wildly cheering dancers dressed in the costumes of China's dozens of ethnic minorities lined the route with the surrounding area bathed in rippling greens, yellows and blues, in a visual echo of the Games' spectacular opening.
Most leaders arrived in blocky China-made "Red Flag" limousines, but Mr Obama stuck with his official ride, a hyper-secure vehicle known as "The Beast".
The "family photo" in the host country's traditional clothing is a fixture at the annual gathering.
This year's fashion choice was based on the "Mao suit" tunics once beloved by China's leaders, but given an elegant, silky look in lustrous purple, green or brown.
Female leaders wore long embroidered buttoned jackets, while the wives were clad in high-necked tunics draped with a loose jacket.
The tradition began when US President Bill Clinton handed out leather bomber jackets in Seattle in 1993. Leaders also donned blue-and-gold South Korean silk overcoats called durumagi in 2005, followed the next year by flowing silk ao dai tunics in Hanoi.
But in Peru, 2008 world leaders were pictured during the global financial crisis "wearing ponchos, smiling and waving" in costumes that unkind critics likened to potato sacks.
It was seen as "not really appropriate" in the circumstances, acknowledged Apec spokesman David Hendrickson, and the practice was quietly dropped.
But last year's host Indonesia revived it as its guitar-strumming president led a stylish parade of Balinese design, albeit for the welcome banquet dinner that spouses also attend, rather than the formal summit proceedings.
"There's a recovery there, or not quite there," Hendrickson said. "It's an interesting barometer of where things are in the economy."
Leaders and their spouses of member countries of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation pose for a family photo at the Water Cube or National Aquatic Center before a welcome banquet in Beijing, China Nov 10. Apec (Front L-R) Taiwanese Representative Vincent Siew, Mexican President's wife Angelica Rivera and President Enrique Pena Nieto, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and wife Iriana, US President Barack Obama, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and wife Naraporn, (Back L-R) Hong Kong 's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, New Zealand Prime Minister's wife Bronagh Key and Prime Minister John Key, Japanese Prime Minister's wife Akie and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Canadian Prime Minister's wife Laureen and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah-Mansor, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and wife Lynda May Babao, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and wife Ho Ching, Vietnam's President Truong Tan Sang,and wife Mai Thi Hanh. (EPA photo)