California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shakes hands with students at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005.

In a speech evoking bodybuilding, civil rights icon Rosa Parks and the power of the individual, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged a university audience in China to attain success in the global world.

"America is a nation that believes in the power of the individual and what the individual can accomplish — no matter the color, no matter the religion, no matter the ethnic background of the individual," Schwarzenegger told about 500 students at Beijing's elite Qinghua University.

In the speech, Schwarzenegger acknowledged China's global economic emergence and praised its heavy investment in U.S. Treasury bonds. But he also addressed the country's challenges.

He told students how he cried all night after his first bodybuilding tournament in the United States, when he came in second to an American competitor. He said that experience motivated him to move to the United States and begin his career.

"The bodybuilding gave me the confidence, the movies gave me the money, and public service gave me a purpose larger than myself," he said.

Students, clearly excited by the presence of the celebrity governor, peppered him with a range of friendly questions.

One student, identified as Zhou Guang, even asked if Schwarzenegger would write to his younger brother, whom Zhou said was convalescing from a car accident and deeply depressed.

The governor promised to send a photo and a note.

The most challenging question came from a student who asked Schwarzenegger about his relationship with his wife, Democrat Maria Shriver. When he and Shriver argued about President Bush, the student asked, who won?

Schwarzenegger laughed and said he and his wife, a member of the iconic Kennedy family, didn't argue.

"I never looked for a wife that was saying yes to everything," he said. "That's the last thing I need, to have more yes people around."

After the speech, students seemed mostly thrilled.

"It was so good," said Liao Zhengjun, a 24-year old journalism student. "As a movie actor to change to governor of the great state of California, he shared about his dream come true."

The speech was the centerpiece of Schwarzenegger's final full day in Beijing.

(Agencies)

convalesce: get over an illness or shock（漸漸康復）