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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

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

China’s first lady Peng Liyuan, in an eye-catching red lace dress and white pearl necklace, stood smiling beside her husband, President Xi Jinping, at Beijing’s Gate of Heavenly Peace as they welcomed foreign guests on Thursday.

Peng, who has been hailed as a fashion icon by the general public, certainly stood out from the crowd of black-suited dignitaries that attended China’s military parade which marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war.

Peng certainly showed her dress sense as she stood with Xi in the front row for the commemorative group photograph.

However, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, looked considerably less glamorous in grey trousers which were only brightened up by a canary yellow jacket. 

Peng's clothes are always the talk of the town when she is seen in public, just as Britain’s Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge – and her husband, Prince William’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales – have been admired around the world for their fashion sense.

Shortly after the broadcast of the parade began on state television in China, copies of the first lady’s outfit were already on sale on Taobao – China’s largest online shopping platform.

The search for the lady's dress online even sparked Chinese censors to ban search terms referring to it on Taobao. Searches for "same style as Yuanyuan" (one of Peng's nicknames) on Thursday afternoon returned messages saying results "could not be displayed according to relevant laws".

The mainland designer brand Exception is a huge success today, but it was largely unknown until Peng sparked headlines by wearing a sophisticated black coat and handbag made by the company on her first overseas trip with Xi two years ago.

Peng, who was an army soprano, is China’s most high-profile first lady since the Cultural Revolution and also the first to receive foreign guests at a military parade.

However, she did not appear at the Tiananmen Gate alongside other Chinese leaders and foreign dignitaries that included Russian President Vladimir Putin and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Peng was a household name in China long before her husband became president, in contrast to previous first ladies, who were largely unknown before their husbands rose to power.

She has played a prominent role at official charity events and in 2011 she was appointed the World Health Organisation’s Goodwill Ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/Aids.

 

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