Gov. Gavin Newsom’s trip to China included a lot: A test of his climate diplomacy skills. An opportunity to polish his political image on the world stage. A demonstration of the risks of the indulgent photo-op.

That danger occurred on Friday during a visit to a school in Beijing where Newsom stabbed a child after tripping while shooting hoops. They both fell to the ground and quickly sat up. Newsom patted the boy on the back several times before giving him a hug and asking if he was okay.

It was a strange moment for the Democratic governor, but caused no injuries. Newsom, dressed in dress shoes, a white shirt and slacks, played with the 9- and 10-year-old children for several more minutes, spinning the basketball on his fingertip and swishing it a few times.

When the governor’s wife,

First partner

Jennifer Siebel Newsom stepped onto the field and took a few photos of her own. The Newsoms handed out California-themed pins to the children and continued with a visit to a painting class and a school garden.

The school visit was intended to highlight Siebel Newsom’s interest in farm-to-school programs. In California, she is working to get more fresh food into school meals through partnerships with local farms. The Beijing school visit was one stop on a packed agenda that saw Newsom visit five cities in seven days and meet with President Xi Jinping.

Many of his events were too

Formal meetings with government officials to discuss economic development and clean energy, important work toward his goal of fostering partnerships to thwart climate change, but not particularly photogenic. Other events were clearly designed as visual spectacles intended to reinforce Newsom’s image as a leader.

In one instance, Newsom’s office sent a photo of him standing on the Great Wall, wearing aviator sunglasses and a pensive expression as he looked at the sun. The glamor photo quickly set the internet ablaze with memes of Newsom in the same pensive pose with various fake backgrounds. Among them: the Oval Office and a homeless camp.

Newsom’s penchant for splashy photos emerged early in his political career when he and his then-wife Kimberly Guilfoyle posed for Harper’s Bazaar magazine as mayor of San Francisco in 2004. Newsom’s arms were wrapped around Guilfoyle as they lay

down together

on a lush carpet in the home of the wealthy Getty family. The image has persisted over the years as a visual punchline for Newsom’s critics.

A very different photo from Newsom’s days as mayor resurfaced this week while he was in China. The mayor of Shanghai began a meeting with Newsom by presenting him with a framed photo from his visit to Shanghai in the early 2000s. Newsom was in a schoolyard shooting hoops with local students.