Watching Peng

Chinas new first lady makes an emphatic entry into an elite club

With great power comes great scrutiny,not just of the leaders of nations,but their spouses as well. Down the years,the sport of watching first ladies trivial,frivolous and downright sexist as it can be has been popular with political writers looking for a distraction from the grey and tedious aspects of diplomacy. The US,which elects its presidents for their families as much as for their policies,has the process down to such a science that it now has an entire website,called michelleobamawatch.com or MOW,devoted to documenting every little thing the US first lady does,says,and,most importantly,wears. As Chinas clout has grown,so has the rest of the worlds appetite for details on its political elite. And for the first time,at the BRICS summit in Durban,new Chinese President Xi Jinpings wife,Peng Liyuan,who marks a distinct departure from her all-but-invisible predecessors,is making it possible.

By all accounts,Peng,one of Chinas most popular singers,has touched off ripples at home and abroad on her diplomatic debut. Her charisma appears to have endeared her to the Chinese press,while her personal style has marked her out as a possible international trendsetter. The international media appears mesmerised by the possibilities of projecting trivia and colour while covering an otherwise severe and monochrome regime. Peng is being compared to Michelle Obama,Carla Bruni and even Kate Middleton.

The focus on Peng is likely to follow the usual,recycled script. There will be some discussion of her past and present activities,and a lot of scrutiny of her sartorial choices. Just consider the uproar when Michelle Obama got bangs. Youd think she was president or something.