Friday 22nd August, 2008 11

ignominy of being Whether or not the retrenched by a United States company at the height trend is a conscious of the post-September 11 attempt at relating recessions. This seems to have imbued the young man to the public, CHINA’S with a dash of the observers are Everyman, although his life has otherwise been a string applauding of success stories involving Harvard, Oracle, and gradu- China’s ating summa cum laude from embracing the the University of Pennsylvania. limelight Princelings State media says this warts-and-all approach to publicity is indicative of a Lee Seok Hwai in Meet Guagua and Wan whimsical—if not exactly It is also a refreshing sters, like the son of former more open and enlightened Singapore Baobao, part of China’s new patriotic—poetry and illus- change from the colourless foreign minister Li leadership. The Straits Times /ANN breed of media-savvy, blue- trations. cut-outs that were the sum of Zhaoxing, who endear them- True or not, the young blooded children. The image is that of a the princelings’ public image selves to the masses by being princelings, most of whom e is 20, studies at As the offspring of top youth who is interested in as recently as the 1990s. The ‘ordinary’. shun politics, are enjoying Oxford University, Chinese leaders in the the things that make other only times the public could Li Hehe suffered the their day in the sun. Hloves street dancing Internet age, they, as well as young people tick, normally catch a glimpse of them were several other ‘princelings’, in other words. at parties or national events, are embracing Professor Zhu Lijia of the when they would stick by the public atten- side of their famous parents tion like never and blend into the furniture. before. Articles written about Whether or heirs such as Deng not the trend Xiaoping’s eldest son Deng is a conscious Tango is cool, Bo Pufang and President Hu attempt at said in his inter- Jintao’s son Hu Haifeng were relating to the largely rambling and politi- public, view with the cally correct accounts of observers are their upbringing and even applauding it magazine. So are revolutionary credentials. as a reflection street dancing, Now, in an era where the of how far lines between politics and Chinese lead- cinematography celebrity are increasingly ers have come blurred, many privileged from their and writing prose, progeny are creating a buzz stodgy, secre- usually reserved for movie tive image he said, referring stars and socialites. only a genera- to his book Wan, 24, and Ye Mingzi, tion ago. 29, are the most glamourous Take for Uncommonwealth of the pack. Both regularly instance Bo, appear in Chinese society the son of . The book is a pages, stylishly draped in Chinese com- collection of designer dresses, oozing atti- merce minis- tude and accessorised with a ter . whimsical—if not celebrity or two. At age 18, he They are all the more fas- was featured exactly patriot- cinating when one juxtapos- in a glossy ic—poetry and es their image with their lin- spread by a eage. For Wan, a jewellery Chinese men’s illustrations. designer who studied in the A STUDY IN CON- magazine, United States and France, TRADICTIONS: Wan alongside the Dad is Wan Jifei, a minister likes of Bao Bao represents heading the China Council pianist Lang for the Promotion of everything that is Lang and International Trade, while old and new about snooker cham- National School of Grandpa is Communist Modern China pion Ding Administration, a training Party elder Wan Li. Junhui, said ground for Chinese state offi- Ye, a fashion designer Southern cials, told Southern Weekend trained at ’s Central Weekend, a such transparency helps the and has published a book of Saint Martin’s College of Art Guangdong-based newspaper. public to form a clearer prose. and Design, is the grand- Tango is cool, Bo said in impression of the She designs jewellery, daughter of Communist his interview with the maga- princelings. hob-nobs with the rich and Party General Ye Jianying, zine. So are street dancing, He pointed out that the famous and got her introduc- who was Mao Zedong’s right- cinematography and writing exposure enables “the public tion to high society at an hand man during the Long prose, he said, referring to to know more about the lead- upper-crust debutantes’ ball March. his book Uncommonwealth. ers and their families, which in Paris. Then there are young- The book is a collection of in turn helps to build trust”.