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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