First ladies experience the sights and sounds of Shanghai during the 2001 APEC Summit. [Photo by Xu Genshun/Provided to China Daily]

His methods worked, and it even led him to precious encounters that few in this world could only dream of. After all, this was exactly how he managed to get up close and personal with the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro in December 1995. Castro even indulged Xu with a chat and gave him a cigar.

Part of his job also involved taking pictures of the wives of political leaders and Xu recalled how he was assigned to capture a group photo for a number of first ladies in Shanghai's Xintiandi area during the APEC summit many years ago. Xu added that the women were duly impressed with the speed at which the photos were printed and presented as gifts within just half an hour, a feat made possible only with the help of government staff.

"In my eyes, there is no group of women that can be on par with first ladies. They are extraordinarily elegant and beautiful," said Xu.

"The style I used to record the interactions between the leaders and their wives are different from the usual. I tried to capture those intimate moments where the leaders and their ladies were in a relaxed setting, such as close-ups of them whispering and making eye contact."

In 2007, Xu started sorting out the pictures he had taken to create a book titled State Guests in Shanghai and First Ladies in Shanghai which was published a year later. Han Zheng, former mayor of Shanghai, wrote the preface.