A schoolboy has created controversy online after he attended a political advisory body meeting in southern China representing students while wearing an expensive Armani suit. Many went on social media to question how the boy could represent students’ views to politicians when he appeared to come from an affluent background. Liu Bo, 13, attended the annual meeting of Shenzhen’s political advisory body over the weekend. The second-year junior high school pupil was invited to the meetings as a non-voting delegate representing students – the first of its kind in the city’s legislative sessions. He also wore a red scarf, a symbol of the Young Pioneers, a group run by the Communist Party Youth League. “We hope [the government] can continue to carry out educational reforms and get rid of the drawbacks of exam-oriented education,” Liu said during an interview with Shenzhen TV. “[The government] should put more emphasis on nurturing our capabilities and qualities instead of letting a piece of exam paper decide our future,” he said. Liu grabbed much of the limelight from the media as the youngest delegate at the meetings, but internet users were quick to spot the Armani logo on his suit jacket lapel, suggesting his family was wealthy. READ MORE: Big trouble in rural China: Data reveals greater the wealth gap the higher the crime rate, and Hong Kong is feeling the effects “I didn’t even know the brand when I was in junior high school,” one user commented. Another wrote: “I was just wondering how a child from an ordinary family could attend such meetings?” Others pointed out that an exam-focused education system was the fairest way to ensure that bright children from poorer backgrounds could outshine wealthier children, given the huge income gap between rich and poor families in China. “Wearing Armani, how can other kids compete with you if there is no exam paper?” one user commented. Another internet user wrote: “Deciding the future through a piece of exam paper may have lots of problems, but it ensures fairness, to a large extent. Even if there is a gap, poor students can catch up by studying extra hard. If [the system] stresses ‘quality education’ such as piano, violin, painting and singing, the rich can naturally squeeze out the poor.” Liu is said to excel at singing and has appeared at other high profile events. He has performed on various television shows since he was six, including on state broadcaster CCTV. He has also visited the United States and Australia representing China’s “outstandingly talented students”. He attended the 7th National Congress of the Chinese Young Pioneers in Beijing last June and shook hands with President Xi Jinping, according to the Southern Metropolis News . His mother, who used to be a teacher, journalist and advertising worker before she quit her job to take care of Liu when he was two, said her son had no problem understanding the content of the political advisory meetings. READ MORE: Education gap threatens poor Hong Kong children “He is a student delegate at many other conferences and often talks about social issues with adults. He has his own thoughts,” she was quoted as saying by the Beijing Youth Daily . Liu’s mother said the Armani suit was a gift from the organiser of a concert he attended in Beijing last year, but internet users soon found photographs of Liu wearing other suits of the same expensive brand. “It seems like the brand has given him full sets of inner and outer clothes for all seasons,” one commentator said.
