Beauty and the bores
By Kent Ewing

HONG KONG - Do Chinese leaders ever kiss their wives or hug their children? Surely they do, but you would never know it from the state media, which portray them all as somber look-alikes in dark suits who talk only of weighty national affairs before lining up for group photos that are as stiff and colorless as most of their rhetoric.

That deliberate dullness - no doubt a response to the cult of personality developed by Mao Zedong and, to a lesser extent, his successor, Deng Xiaoping - may soon change. When President Hu Jintao finishes his final term in 2012, in his place China may get not only a leader but also something akin to the American "first family". And it will not be the pedestrian version represented by the current occupants of the White House, President George W Bush and his wife, Laura. Rather, it will approach the glamour of the Kennedy administration.

Although the Communist Party's 17th National Congress concluded just last month with the re-anointment of Hu for another five years, the central government is already preparing the country for its next leader. Remarkably, he seems to come with a visible conjugal attachment - and a talented and attractive one at that. Strong spouses are not totally foreign to Chinese politics - let's not forget one-time actress Jiang Qing, or Madam Mao, who was instrumental in unleashing the Cultural Revolution's reign of terror - but this is the new China and a very different kind of first lady is required.

The congress has been followed by a flood of stories on former Shanghai party chief Xi Jinping, 54, widely regarded as Hu's successor, and his celebrity wife, the popular and beautiful soprano, Peng Liyuan. In one recent article - posted on the China Central Television (CCTV) website and headlined "Peng on Happy Family Life" - the folk superstar, now a youthful-looking 45, explains the secret to her success.

"It has a lot to do with family," she said. "If I didn't have a happy marriage, which would potentially wreak havoc on my heart, I would not have been able to maintain a shiny public image."

And, in case the man and woman on the street were wondering about the probable first lady's priorities, she added: "Family is a peaceful harbor for a woman and is the rock for a woman."

Clearly - despite her talent, beauty and fame - the "first lady in waiting" will always stand by her man.

Peng holds a master's degree in folk music and is best known for her extensive folk repertoire. But she has also starred in Chinese and Western opera, once playing the lead in Mulan to the music of the Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra. She is one of the most familiar faces on CCTV, having appeared on the network's Chinese New Year special a record 19 times. Peng's performance at last summer's ceremony marking the one-year countdown to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing gave the event a generous dose of both patriotism and panache.

A group of 40 patriotic songwriters recently signed a petition holding up Peng's wholesome brand of music as an example to Chinese youth and calling for a boycott of the "unhealthy" pop music, often focused on sex, that is winning over the younger generation. Peng's songs - with titles such as Zai Xi Wang De Tian Ye Shang (On the Land of Hope) and Dang De Nu Er (Daughter of the Party) - are often more lyrical versions of Hu's perennial call for a "harmonious society".

In addition to demonstrating patriotism through her music, Peng serves as the most fetching major-general in the People's Liberation Army, and sometimes dons army fatigues to prove it. She shows her humanitarian side through her work as China's AIDS ambassador.

Xi and Peng have been married since 1987 and have a daughter called Mingze, a name denoting usefulness, innocence and moral probity. The fact that this is Xi's second marriage and that he and Peng lived apart for several years amid rumors of a marital breakdown does not come up in the recent profiles. Indeed, Peng's newfound devotion and loyalty is meant to overshadow all that.

While the somewhat stout Xi does not have the star-appeal of his wife, he does exude the easy self-confidence of a leader, which he inherited from his father, Xi Zhongxun, a hero of the revolution who became a senior party official before he was purged by Mao. Later rehabilitated by Deng, the elder Xi rose to become a member of the powerful Politburo. At last month's congress, his son joined an even more exclusive club - the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee, the inner sanctum of Chinese leadership.

Born in 1953 in Shanxi province, Xi is known as a "princeling" in Chinese politics because of his privileged party background. After his father was purged, however, Xi spent time working beside the peasants in the Shanxi countryside, a chapter in his life that official media now play up to soften his image as a member of the pampered communist elite.

In 1968, Xi won a place at prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and a doctorate in law. If he ultimately gains the presidency for which he is now so clearly being groomed, he will be the most highly educated leader in the country's history.

Since he joined the Communist Party at 21, Xi's career has been on a steady ascent. He built a reputation for decisiveness, honesty and efficiency as party secretary of prosperous Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, boosting foreign investment and cutting bureaucratic red tape. His personable style has also served him well. It was no surprise, then, that he was chosen this year for the plum position of party secretary in Shanghai, the most important regional post in the country, after his predecessor was charged with stealing US$470 million from the city's pension fund. This month Xi was named to head the group that manages Hong Kong and Macau affairs, another high-profile post.

Xi seemed to realize that he was in a sweet spot during the congress, appearing relaxed and jovial with the media. By contrast, Li Keqiang - Xi's rival for the presidency and reportedly Hu's favorite for the job - was stiff and taciturn. Li is likely to take Premier Wen Jiabao's job in 2012.

Of course, anything can happen in the next five years, but for now the presidency looks to be Xi's to lose. If he plays his cards right - and his personal history suggests that he will - China will have a first family that mixes fame and beauty with power and privilege. Along with the drabness of the next five-year plan may come a welcome infusion of style and personality. But remember: there are no cults allowed.


Kent Ewing is a teacher and writer at Hong Kong International School. He can be reached at kewing@hkis.edu.hk.

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I think china has bigger worries then emulating a bootlegger and a murderer like joe kennedy and his clan. I dont get the idea of polictian = royalty. Its bs.

I hope they don't adopt more trash from our end..the fake hugz are even worse lol.We already went through the Clinton fiasco lol.
I am very much a pro hug and pro cuddle person but I don't like fake opying of this celeb crap that we even see in the political arena.It'aslike Britney with a sober twist lol.I hope China develop's it's own unique style of public image..without having to turn to the left hand side of the Middle Kingdom always for innovation.