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Naomi Ng

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Peng Liyuan, China's first lady, who has accompanied her husband to the United States this week, is no stranger to being in the spotlight.
She has been praised by both mainland and international media for her fashion sense on earlier state visits.
Her stylish outfits have led to her being compared with two other fashion icons– US first lady Michelle Obama and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, who is the wife of Britain’s Prince William.
READ MORE: China's first lady Peng Liyuan's fashion style has made her a global sensation
Yet Peng, originally from the eastern province of Shandong, was already a nationally recognised singer on the mainland before she met Xi in 1986, and their marriage in 1987.
Following her arrival in the US, she is set for a much-anticipated fashion face-off with her fellow first lady later this week.
Here we take a look at five key differences between the two fashion icons.

Background




Peng Liyuan


Michelle Obama




Peng, a Yuncheng county, Shandong native, joined the People’s Liberation Army when she was 18. She was one of the first people on the mainland to obtain a master’s degree in ethnic music at the China Conservatory of Music.
Her vocal talents catapulted her to stardom as an army soprano, and she has given many singing performances across China and abroad
 


Obama grew up with her older brother, Craig, in Chicago. Her father was a water plant operator, and her mother was a full-time housewife until her daughter went to high school.
She went to state school, and later graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She then attended Harvard Law School in 1988, where she earned a doctorate in law
 





Profession




Peng Liyuan


Michelle Obama




Aside from being the first lady of China and a singer, Peng is also the president of the People’s Liberation Army’s Academy of Art.
She has since stepped down from public performances, but continues with her charity work


After working as a lawyer, Obama began to work in public service and was associate dean at the University of Chicago.
She then became vice-president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Centre before her husband’s inauguration





Family




Peng Liyuan


Michelle Obama




Peng met her future husband, Xi Jinping, through a friend in 1986, and they were married in 1987.
Peng is Xi’s second wife.
They have a daughter named Xi Mingze, who was born in 1992, and has now returned to China after studying at Harvard University


Obama met her husband, Barack Obama in 1989, while she was an associate at a law firm.
They married in 1992; their daughters, Malia, born in 1998, and Sasha, in 2001, attend the same private school where former US presidents Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon sent their daughters





Campaigns




Peng Liyuan


Michelle Obama




The World Health Organisation appointed Peng as a goodwill ambassador in its campaign against tuberculosis and HIV/Aids in 2012.
In 2014, Unesco named her as a special envoy to promote education for girls and women.
She has also joined Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, in promoting World No Tobacco Day


Obama launched the “Let’s Move!” campaign in 2010 to fight against childhood obesity.
She has raised awareness for the need for higher education, and also spoken about empowering young women worldwide through a government-initiative called “Let Girls Learn”





Style




Peng Liyuan


Michelle Obama




China’s first lady tends to wear tailored clothing, with clean lines on formal occasions. Internet users have praised her “elegant ensembles” and graceful outfits.
The 52-year-old supports home-grown Chinese designers, such as Ma Ke, one of the founders of Exception de Mixmind, a largely unknown fashion brand until she sparked global headlines by wearing a sophisticated black overcoat and handbag on her first trip with Xi to Moscow in 2013


Her American counterpart is more experimental with her style – her clothes ranges from casual flirty dresses to off-the-shoulder ball gowns, and tailored trouser suits.
The 51-year-old wears clothing mostly made by American designers, which include more affordable fashion retailers, such as J. Crew and Target,  and the renowned designer Alexander McQueen





Sources: SCMP, Xinhua, The White House, Biography.com
 


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Five differences between Peng Liyuan and Michelle Obama, first ladies of China and US 

Fashion icons: Michelle Obama's inaugural dress (left) and Peng Liyuan in her headline-making Exception de Mixmind coat and handbag. Photos: AFP, Reuters

President Xi Jinping and his wife first lady Peng Liyuan (left) greet US first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters Malia (second right) and Sasha in Beijing in May last year. Photo: Reuters

Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan met in Beijing last year. Photo: AP

China's first lady Peng Liyuan waves to students while visiting Lincoln High School in Tacoma, in Washington state, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

China's President Xi Jinping and his wife, first lady Peng Liyuan, wave to the crowd as they arrive in the US on Tuesday at the start of a one-week visit. Photo: AFP

Michelle Obama and her husband, US President Barack Obama, wave from the White House balcony alongside Pope Francis in WAshington on Wednesday. Photo: TNS

China's first lady Peng Liyuan on the diplomatic circuit in (clockwise from above left) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Pretoria, South Africa; Dusseldorf, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; and Beijing, with Michelle Obama. Photos: AP, AFP, Reuters

China's first lady Peng Liyuan and her husband, President Xi Jinping, arrive in Moscow in 2013. Photo: Reuters


Peng Liyuan helped to make the Chinese fashion brand Exception de Mixmind a household name during the Moscow trip when she was photographed sporting one of its black coats and bags. Photo: SCMP Pictures

China's first lady Peng Liyuan wears an eye-catching outfit on a trip to Mexico in 2013. Photo: AFP

US first lady Michelle Obama wore a Jason Wu dress on the cover of US Vogue in March 2009. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Fashion face-off set for China, US first ladies Peng Liyuan and Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan in Beijing last year. Photo: AP

Peng Liyuan arrives in Mexico City in 2013. She has been known to support home-grown Chinese names such as Exception de Mixmind. Photo: AFP

Michelle Obama's inaugural dress (Left) and Peng Liyuan's Exception de Mixmind coat and handbag (Right). Photo: AFP, Reuters

 Exception de Mixmind shot to prominence when their clothing was worn by China’s new First lady Peng Liyuan during her first trip overseas. Photo: AFP

Greeted by Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan, Michelle Obama with her daughters Malia (Right) and Sasha (2nd Right) was the first presidential wife to make a trip to China without her husband. Photo: Reuters

With Chinese President Xi Jinping, First Lady Peng Liyuan arrived yesterday in Seattle donning a silk floral skirt and smart white jacket with mandarin collar. Photo: AFP

First lady fashion: the rise and rise of Peng Liyuan's favourite designer

First lady Peng Liyuan (right) helped make Exception a household name by sporting one of the brand's coats and bags during her first trip overseas. Photo: Reuters

Mao Jihong, president of Mixmind Art & Design, says China still faces a long haul to build its own global fashion brands. 

Russia's President Vladimir Putin puts a shawl on Peng Liyuan as they arrive to watch a fireworks show for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing last year. Photo: AP

US first lady Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan pose for photos at Forbidden City in Beijing. Photo: AP

President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan wave as they leave following a two-day official visit to Tanzania. Photo: AP

Peng Liyuan (right) poses for pictures with the spouses of visiting Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bali, Indonesia in 2013. Photo: AFP

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma shares a toast with Peng Liyuan in Pretoria. Photo: Reuters

People visit an Exception fashion store in Beijing. The brand shot to prominence after its line was worn by first lady Peng Liyuan. Photo: AFP

First lady Peng Liyuan helped make Exception a household name by sporting one of its coats and bags (pictured). Photo: SCMP

The Woman in Red: China’s first lady Peng Liyuan stands out from crowd at military parade

South Korean President Park Geun-hye (L) is welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) and his wife Peng Liyuan at Tiananmen Square. Photo: EPA

China's first lady Peng Liyuan takes centre stage in her red dress in the commemorative group photo, flanked by her husband, President Xi Jinping, and South Korean President Park Geun-hye. Photo: Xinhua

South Korean President Park Geun-hye (left) is welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre) and his wife Peng Liyuan at Tiananmen Square. Photo: EPA

Peng Liyuan helped to make Exception a household name during the Moscow trip when she was photographed sporting one of its black coats and bags. Photo: SCMP Pictures 

China's first lady Peng Liyuan and her husband, President Xi Jinping, arrive in Moscow in 2013. Photo: Reuters

Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan, pictured arriving with her husband on a state visit to Mexico in 2013, has gained admirers around the world for her fashion sense. Photo: AFP 

South Korean President Park Geun-hye (right) chats with Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, at a parade reception. Photo: EPA

China’s new first lady Peng Liyuan an instant internet hit

Chinese President Xi and First Lady Peng wave as they arrive at Moscow's Vnukovo airport. Photo: Reuters

News

China

Diplomacy

Peng Liyuan, China's first lady, who has accompanied her husband to the United States this week, is no stranger to being in the spotlight.


Five differences between Peng Liyuan and Michelle Obama, first ladies of China and US

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Peng Liyuan, China's first lady, who has accompanied her husband to the United States this week, is no stranger to being in the spotlight.

Peng Liyuan, China's first lady, who has accompanied her husband to the United States this week, is no stranger to being in the spotlight.