Anybody with an iconic state leader for a parent is bound to live in their shadow and carry some of their legacy, especially in an authoritarian country where the political mandate comes from the ruling party rather than the people.
The promotion of Deng Pufang, 63, to vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - an appointment that carries the rank of a state leader - is largely seen as a tactic by President Hu Jintao to bolster legitimacy by indirectly honouring a former leader.
Deng Pufang is the eldest son of the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who freed the mainland from the shackles of Maoism by introducing economic reforms 30 years ago.
Pundits said the president wanted to woo children of the party's elite to his side and, in this case, the candidate had contributed to society.
Nobody knows the blessing and the curse of being the son of a state leader better than the wheelchair-bound Deng Pufang.
His family ties earned him relentless persecution by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution, so much so that in 1968 he was paralysed from the waist down after jumping from a window to escape the harassment.