Microblogs with the scoops ...
Source: Xinhua |
February 21, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A MICROBLOG focusing on Xi Jinping scooped China's official media earlier this month with the first details of his inspection tour of Gansu Province.
Entries on the "Xuexifensituan" ("Learning from Xi Fan Club") account are often written in a tabloid style, with brief, declarative statements tracing the movements of the Party chief.
The posts on weibo.com appear to contain exclusive material and always come out ahead of official media reports.
On February 10, a 28-year-old interior decorator in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, revealed he was the man behind "Xuexifensituan." He refused to disclose any more personal information at the time, but promised a public interview as early as today.
The microblog has attracted almost a million followers since it began in November.
Meanwhile, the microblog's popularity has given rise to other accounts devoted to news and information on top leaders, including personal details usually withheld from the public.
Among them is "Xianglixuexi" ("Learning from Li"), a Weibo account about Vice Premier Li Keqiang, which yesterday alone attracted more than 2,700 followers, bringing the total number of followers to above 12,700 as of last night.
Various pieces of information regarding the vice premier have been posted on the microblog, including samples of his handwriting, rarely seen photos that go all the way back to his childhood and a picture of the latest book by Cheng Hong, his English professor wife.
She is referred to as "Sister Cheng" and one entry has details of her educational background.
The microblog relays some of Li's off-the-cuff quotes and showcases the moments when he seems most accessible.
During Li's inspection tour of Enshi, Hubei Province, he stopped by a clothes shop and inquired about the taxes and fees the owner had to pay. When the owner tried to downplay his financial burden, Li said, according to one entry: "I am not your tax officer, you can tell me the truth."
After a young boy unwittingly rose to fame for appearing half naked in a news broadcast while Li was visiting his home, the vice premier was praised for breaking from tradition and carrying out truly unplanned inspections.
"Xianglixuexi" later posted some of the little boy's personal information and a photo of him and his family to wish readers a Happy New Year.
A woman from Beijing is behind the microblog.
In an interview with the Beijing Times, she chose not to reveal her identity, saying her background didn't matter, what did was the public response.
She said she started the account in response to people's expectations for the new leaders' governance styles.
She said several moves following the election of the new leadership, such as efforts to publicize their personal stories, had raised hopes the top leaders would launch their own microblogs.
Wang Yukai, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, said the emergence of such fan clubs showed that the public approved of the new leadership.
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