Donald Trump is in China for two days of talks with Xi Jinping. Never far from the President of the People’s Republic, his wife Peng Liyuan should relax the atmosphere. At 63, the Chinese first lady, a former singing star and army general, plays an essential role at the head of the country.
A voice for the Party. Before being the wife of the leader of the second world power, Peng Liyuan was the true star of the household, a diva whose fame surpassed that of her husband.
Also read:
REPLAY. War in the Middle East: Israeli bombings continue in Lebanon
From the “peony fairy” to the ranks of the army
Born in Shandong province, Peng Liyuan traced her destiny through singing. At the age of 18, she joined the People’s Liberation Army. Between two training sessions, she sings to motivate the troops, which earns her the poetic nickname “peony fairy”. As BFMTV recalls, his father was director of a village school, imbuing him early with educational values. A graduate of the National Conservatory of Beijing, she rose through the ranks to the rank of major general.
Her career exploded thanks to state television’s annual New Year’s gala, where she performed patriotic songs. Music critic Qi Youyi told the BBC in 2013, with a touch of irony: “Probably 90% of his songs praise the Communist Party, and the rest celebrate our wonderful life.”
Love at first sight and a political sacrifice
It was at the end of the 1980s that friends introduced him to Xi Jinping. Although they married on September 1, 1987, Peng Liyuan later admitted to the daily Zhanjiang Evening News that he initially found him “a little boorish and old”. Despite this first impression, the couple settles into family life. Four days after their wedding, she went on tour alone for three months, reports the Sunday Newspaper.
In 2007, while her husband was running for the highest office, she chose to put an end to her artistic career. A strategic sacrifice for the woman who said she liked “going to the market by bike and negotiating with the traders”. This human profile helped soften the image of her husband. In 2012, she was the second favorite personality of the Chinese according to West France.
A diplomat of charm and causes
Since 2013, she has accompanied her husband on every state visit. But its role goes beyond representation. Appointed ambassador by the WHO for the fight against tuberculosis and HIV, she is also a special envoy for UNESCO.
According to the American think tank Wilson Center, “Peng became famous before her husband.” As Paris Match pointed out, her rank as a general greatly helped Xi Jinping to “court the military”, while Courrier international notes that she was able to humanize power by evoking their intimate life in the press.
