Standing face to face with the opposition, supporters of Chinese President Jiang Zemin lined the streets around Sanders Theatre Saturday morning, loudly chanting "One China" and waving the bright red flags of their native country, as well as America's Stars and Stripes.

"I welcome [Jiang] because it is important for American and Chinese people to set a good relationship," said Yan Yingfei, a Chinese citizen who works in Cambridge.

Yan, with a broad smile and enthusiastic nod, said he was proud that his president was visiting the United States.

Many other Chinese and Chinese-Americans present expressed similar feelings. They said China has become more democratic, brought economic improvement to its people and has emerged as an important player on the world stage.

"China is now stronger and moving in the right direction," said Bao Lu, a student at Harvard Medical School.

"We must have patience," added Xingjia Cui, a student at the School of Public Health.

Chinese nationalists jockeyed for position with human-rights protesters who help up banners across the street. The protesters shouted "Free Tibet" or "Jiang Zemin bullshit!" and the supporters of China vehemently responded with "One China" or "Jiang Zemin, Jiang Zemin!"

As Jiang's motorcade passed, the crowd surged forward, and the supporters of China, in unison, emitted yells fit for a rock and roll concert.

The Cambridge police estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 protesters and supporters thronged the campus in total.

The Greater Boston Area Chinese Welcome Committee--a coalition of four dozen groups--organized the Jiang supporters, giving their welcome a professional look.

Most of the Chinese picked up small Chinese and American flags from boxes placed in the street by the committee. Some carried large red banners of welcome.

The Lyndon LaRouche organization, a radical group that works within China, helped to mobilize the supporters. Nationalists gathered around the Lyndon LaRouche banners and speakers with megaphones from the organization.

Roger Ham, a member of the Lyndon LaRouche organization, spoke to a group in front of a banner which read "LaRouche Welcomes Jiang Zemin U.S.-China Partnership."

Ham rallied supporters by shouting, "We want to see China become a great industrial nation like the U.S."

U.S.-Chinese cooperation is crucial to a peaceful relationship between the two nations, Ham told The Crimson in an interview.