‘Our first lady is better than yours’: Chinese laud ‘elegant’ Peng Liyuan as Michelle Obama tours Beijing
AP Photo/Andy Wong, PoolU.S.
first lady Michelle Obama, foreground right, and Peng Liyuan, wife of
Chinese President Xi Jinping, foreground right, share a light moment as
they visit a Chinese traditional calligraphy class at the Beijing
Normal School, a school that prepares students to go abroad in Beijing,
China Friday, March 21, 2014.
It was the eagerly awaited meeting of the world’s two most important first ladies.
But, according to the Chinese, there was a clear winner when Michelle Obama met her counterpart Peng Liyuan Friday for the first time in Beijing.
“Our first lady is so graceful and elegant, leaving Michelle far behind,” said one critic. “We have won this time,” remarked another. “Ours is more refined and eye-catching,” said a third.
There was praise for Mrs Peng’s belted suit, with flashes of crimson at her neckline to match her red earrings and clutch bag, but some questioned whether her high heels were sensible enough for the cobbles of the Forbidden City. Without them, Mrs Obama would have towered over her. Mrs Obama won plaudits, however, for gamely embracing three of China’s favourite hobbies: ping pong, calligraphy and robot building.
The two first ladies began their day together at Beijing Normal School, an elite secondary school currently hosting 30 American exchange students, £30,000 ($55,390) for their year abroad.
Visiting a robotics class, Mrs Obama was introduced to a robot in the shape of a snowflake that promptly became snarled in an obstacle course.
At the next desk, a cheeky student asked Mrs Obama if she wanted to
try out his “bad boy” robot, that was “really naughty.” She passed the
controls to her daughter Malia.
Mrs Obama’s trip represents a new approach in Washington’s efforts to
charm Beijing: a first ladies’ club. Partly it was a slightly stiff
apology for the snub last year when Mrs Obama failed to show up for a
meeting at Sunnylands, California, between Xi Jinping, Mrs Peng and her
husband.
At other moments, it was more like a family holiday dressed as a diplomatic mission. One photograph, a holiday snap to treasure, showed Mrs Obama, her teenage daughters and her 76-year-old mother surrounding Mrs Peng, their tour guide to the Forbidden City. For China it was also an experiment. No politician’s wife has ever hosted a visiting dignitary. While Mrs Peng has won praise for her presence by Mr Xi’s side on his overseas trips, she does not have a high political profile at home.
As she rigidly picked up a brush to paint a scroll for Mrs Obama, Mrs Peng, a star singer who has performed before huge audiences across China, betrayed a hint of stage fright. “I am somewhat nervous too,” she said as she wrote.
China remains unsure about the role of the first lady. “The last high profile politician’s wife we had was Madame Mao,” remarked one local government official ahead of Mrs Obama’s visit. “And that did not turn out so well.”
Jiang Qing, Chairman Mao’s fourth wife, was executed for her crimes during the Cultural Revolution.
Both Mrs Obama and Mrs Peng steered clear of politics and barely spoke during their tour of the school, according to the reporters present. “The U.S. finds it hard to accept the communism and nationalism of China, but can easily accept Chinese food, calligraphy and other culture,” said Shen Dingli, the head of the U.S. Research Centre at Fudan university.
“So after they have spent time together, eaten together and watched a
show together, they will feel closer together and that may help the
political process.”
He added that the presence of the Obama girls and their grandmother would show the Chinese public that even America’s first family is “normal” and not “iron-fisted” as some Chinese believe. “The trip will have an imperceptible, gentle, mollifying effect,” he said.
The image of the Obamas as two hard-working parents who delegate child care duties to granny would play well with the Chinese, the White House predicted in advance, aware of how many Chinese families were forced to do the same.
But, according to the Chinese, there was a clear winner when Michelle Obama met her counterpart Peng Liyuan Friday for the first time in Beijing.
Our first lady is so graceful and elegant, leaving Michelle far behindAs photographs and television footage emerged of Mrs Peng and Mrs Obama touring the Chinese capital, the country’s online forums were quick to claim victory in the “battle of the first ladies.”
“Our first lady is so graceful and elegant, leaving Michelle far behind,” said one critic. “We have won this time,” remarked another. “Ours is more refined and eye-catching,” said a third.
There was praise for Mrs Peng’s belted suit, with flashes of crimson at her neckline to match her red earrings and clutch bag, but some questioned whether her high heels were sensible enough for the cobbles of the Forbidden City. Without them, Mrs Obama would have towered over her. Mrs Obama won plaudits, however, for gamely embracing three of China’s favourite hobbies: ping pong, calligraphy and robot building.
The two first ladies began their day together at Beijing Normal School, an elite secondary school currently hosting 30 American exchange students, £30,000 ($55,390) for their year abroad.
Visiting a robotics class, Mrs Obama was introduced to a robot in the shape of a snowflake that promptly became snarled in an obstacle course.
AP Photo/Andy Wong, PoolU.S.
first lady Michelle Obama, center, her daughters Malia, left, and
Sasha, second from left, is accompanied by Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese
President Xi Jinping, third from right, watch students demonstrating
remote control mechanical robots at the Beijing Normal School, a school
that prepares students to attend universities abroad in Beijing, China
Friday, March 21, 2014.
Feng Li/Getty ImagesU.S.
First Lady Michelle Obama, right, visits the Forbidden City accompanied
by Peng Liyuan (second right), wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping on
March 21, 2014 in Beijing, China.
At other moments, it was more like a family holiday dressed as a diplomatic mission. One photograph, a holiday snap to treasure, showed Mrs Obama, her teenage daughters and her 76-year-old mother surrounding Mrs Peng, their tour guide to the Forbidden City. For China it was also an experiment. No politician’s wife has ever hosted a visiting dignitary. While Mrs Peng has won praise for her presence by Mr Xi’s side on his overseas trips, she does not have a high political profile at home.
As she rigidly picked up a brush to paint a scroll for Mrs Obama, Mrs Peng, a star singer who has performed before huge audiences across China, betrayed a hint of stage fright. “I am somewhat nervous too,” she said as she wrote.
China remains unsure about the role of the first lady. “The last high profile politician’s wife we had was Madame Mao,” remarked one local government official ahead of Mrs Obama’s visit. “And that did not turn out so well.”
Jiang Qing, Chairman Mao’s fourth wife, was executed for her crimes during the Cultural Revolution.
Both Mrs Obama and Mrs Peng steered clear of politics and barely spoke during their tour of the school, according to the reporters present. “The U.S. finds it hard to accept the communism and nationalism of China, but can easily accept Chinese food, calligraphy and other culture,” said Shen Dingli, the head of the U.S. Research Centre at Fudan university.
AFP/Getty ImagesJiang Qing (1914-91), third wife of Mao Zedong, during trial in January 1981.
He added that the presence of the Obama girls and their grandmother would show the Chinese public that even America’s first family is “normal” and not “iron-fisted” as some Chinese believe. “The trip will have an imperceptible, gentle, mollifying effect,” he said.
The image of the Obamas as two hard-working parents who delegate child care duties to granny would play well with the Chinese, the White House predicted in advance, aware of how many Chinese families were forced to do the same.
Labels: China, Communications, Human Relations, United States
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