What the Mainland Media Say | Video tribute to first couple shows shift in Xi Jinping image push

A rare video depicting the relationship between President Xi Jinping and his celebrity wife, Peng Liyuan, has attracted 150 million views in the nearly three weeks since it was posted online, a sign of the profound change in the public face of the leadership since Xi took power two years ago.

Called Xi Dada Loves Peng Mama, the music video, which runs 3 minutes and 21 seconds, consists of a collection of 33 photos and two illustrations of the couple, showing small details like eye contact between them. Dada means uncle or daddy and mama is mother in Chinese.

The video caught the public by surprise as the personal life of China's top leader or the first couple has seldomly been reported and discussed in the past. In extensive interviews with various state-run media in recent weeks, the four musicians who created the video expressed their admiration for the couple's love and the president's personality.

The video received 22 million hits in less than a week after its release on November 18, and 150 million by last Sunday, according to the People's Daily. The party flagship newspaper said the first couple set a good example for China's young couples.

The Global Times argued the wide interest was a demonstration of public admiration for the family values the first couple represented. The China Youth Daily said that those who won the hearts of people would be able to lead them.

But some people writing online have mocked the video as sycophantic. Some compared it to The East is Red, a song praising Mao Zedong that became the unofficial national anthem during the Cultural Revolution.