The ideal Chinese husband: Xi Dada and the cult of personality growing around China’s president

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A souvenir plate bearing the image of China’s President Xi Jinping. The praise being heaped on Xi is matched by few other leaders, with the possible exceptions of Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:01am, 29 Feb 2016Updated: 11:45pm, 29 Feb 2016

“If You Want to Marry, Marry Someone Like Xi Dada.”

Perhaps more than any other, this lyric to a song that has gone viral on the internet on the mainland demonstrates the growing cult of personality surrounding President Xi Jinping – or “Xi Dada [Uncle Xi]” as the song would have it.

The sudden interest in the song comes at a time when much of the state-run media has been painting Xi as a strong, wise and great leader and the Communist Party’s leadership has urged the party’s 88 million members to study Xi’s remarks – along with the organisation’s constitution and rules.

“If you want to marry, marry someone like Xi Dada, who is decisive in acts and is serious in [all his] work; no matter [whether] it’s flies or tigers, monsters and freaks, he will get all of them down and never let it go,” the song cheerily chirps – referencing the high and low-level corrupt officials that Xi has been pursuing in his landmark anti-corruption campaign.

“If you want to marry, marry someone like Xi Dada, a man full of heroism with an unyielding sprit; no matter how the world changes and how many difficulties lie ahead, he will insist and keep moving forward.”

The singer is Hu Xiaoming, who is relatively unknown, at least for now, while the music and lyrics have been composed by Tang Jianyun, who refers to himself as a “grass-roots” musician.

Tang’s other songs include: Be A Man Like Xi Dada, Cliff, Most Beautiful Sunset, and My Dearest Friend, according to his profile on Baidu.com.