As Chinese President Xi Jinping departs Friday on his first overseas tour, which includes stops in Moscow and three African countries, along with the BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, Beijing's media is buzzing about the impact of Xi’s famous wife Peng Liyuan, who will be traveling with him.
China's new first lady, one of the country’s most prominent folk singers and a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, has long been as well known as her husband.
that she would accompany her husband on the trip has already attracted widespread attention on China’s Twitter-like Weibo micro-blogging service, where expectations are high about her ability to boost Beijing’s image abroad.
"Each country's First Lady has her own style and flare, and the thing that the world loves is color and diversity," says Tsinghua University political scientist Tang Xiaoyang.
As Peng and President Xi embark on their trip to Moscow, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo, the outing is the president’s first opportunity to shape his image as China’s new leader before foreign audiences.
In Russia, China’s president will focus on strengthening long steady bilateral ties and boosting already booming cooperation in fields such as energy, aviation, space and technology.
Renmin University journalism professor Zhong Xin says there are high expectations that Peng will help her husband convey a friendly image of China.
"Mrs. Peng is beautiful and popular and because this is the first time she will be unveiled in her new public role, she will have a good influence," she said, explaining that the new First Lady will not only shed a positive light on herself, but the president and the entire country. Peng is expected to engage in some public activities with other first ladies, and media reports indicate she may even deliver a speech during next week’s BRICS summit.
According to Zhong, such high-profile events for a Chinese first lady represent a departure from the past. "China doesn’t have a tradition of a First Lady following the president like in the West," says Zhong.
中国国家主席习近平在上周五开始了首次外访，将对俄罗斯和其他四个非洲国家展开国事访问，还将参加在南非德班举行的金砖四国峰会。习近平的妻子、著名歌唱家彭丽媛随主席陪同出访，第一夫人引起了媒体的普遍关注。
作为新任第一夫人，彭丽媛是中国著名的民歌歌唱家，也是世界卫生组织结核病和艾滋病亲善大使，长期以来彭丽媛和丈夫习近平一样在中国家喻户晓。
在中国重要的社交网络微博上，关于彭丽媛将陪同出访的消息引起了极大关注，很多网友都对她此行提升中国在世界的形象表达了极大的期望。
来自清华大学的政治学者唐晓阳表示：“每个国家的第一夫人都有自己的特色和亮点，人们想看到的就是第一夫人们不同多样的风格。”
彭丽媛和习近平主席本次出行将到访俄罗斯、坦桑尼亚、南非和刚果共和国。习近平总书记的首次出访，也是在世界民众前第一次展现中国新任领导人的风采和形象。
在俄罗斯，习近平主席将重点强调加强与俄罗斯长期稳定的双边关系，以及两国在能源、航空、太空和科技等领域的密切合作。
中国人民大学[微博]新闻学院教授钟欣表示，人们对彭丽媛可以帮助习近平主席传递友好中国的形象有着很高的期望。
她说：“彭丽媛女士非常漂亮，非常受欢迎，这次她第一次以新的公众角色出现在人们面前，会展现非常好的影响力。” 她认为这位中国新任第一夫人不仅会展示自己的正面形象，也会对主席和整个中国的形象起到非常积极的作用。据悉彭丽媛还将其他国家的第一夫人们一起参与到公共活动中来。而根据媒体的报道，彭丽媛还将在下周的金砖四国峰会期间发表演讲。
钟欣教授表示，中国第一夫人这样高调参与重要场合也与之前的情况大不相同。“和西方国家不同的是，前几任中国主席的妻子都比较低调，中国并没有第一夫人的传统。”
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