The talking point of the Chinese leadership transition has so far centred on the President-elect and his austerity drive on gift-giving. But today his celebrity folk singer wife ? Peng Liyuan ? swept to centre stage, following the revelation that she will not only be accompanying him on his first foreign tour, but also giving a speech.

　　The move is a departure from the treatment afforded to the wife of the outgoing President, Hu Jintao. It would seem that, rather than the silent companion of yore, Xi Jinping is keen for his wife to play a key ambassadorial role.

　　A cursory look at pictures of her performing across China show an array of brightly coloured outfits ? her repertoire of different looks could rival those of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the wife of the former French President. Another link between the two women is that both were independently famous as singers before marrying their politician-husbands.

　　The decision to give Peng more of a role could prove a masterstroke by Xi as he takes steps to carve out a distinct image from his predecessor. As Kathrin Hille, our Beijing correspondent writes:

　　“There were already signs of a higher profile: In 2011, Ms Peng became a goodwill ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV for the World Health Organisation. In this role, she must engage with governments in other countries.

　　Many in China hope she can do much more than that. “Having the First Lady emerge from behind the scenes and step up to centre stage is a good thing. It is a move of political openness and transparency,” says Jiang Jin, a history professor at East China Normal University.

　　A friend of Ms Peng’s says she could make a big impact. “She will win over hearts in no time with her warm personality,” he says. “She is open and spontaneous.”

　　That is in line with the style Mr Xi is trying to adopt for his leadership. Foreign government officials, diplomats and company executives who have met him say with relief that they can connect to him in a way they never could with the stiff Mr Hu.”

　　There is a more controversial side, however. A video of one of her performances as a singer shows her identifying in her songs with China’s military rise, even acting out the part of a soldier on the front line. Her links to the army are, unlike other First Ladies in the West, also central to her public image.

　　Could this strong, driven woman give Michelle Obama a run for her money? It remains to be seen what sort of a voice she will have on the international stage, as she meets with heads of state, diplomats and opinion-formers. It’s also not clear how far she’ll continue her career as a folk singer.

　　Where Michelle Obama has often championed, for example, the importance of education for women in her overseas visits, it will be interesting to see whether Peng takes on campaigns of her own. A video interview from CCTV about her work with HIV perhaps gives one indication.

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　　1963年，时任中国国家主席刘少奇出访印度尼西亚时，他的妻子王光美助了他一臂之力。当时的中国不仅贫穷，而且饱受政治运动之乱。但王光美身着中国传统旗袍，举止优雅，在外国人面前展现了中国积极的一面。

　　但王光美的高调，反过来害了她。当刘少奇在当代中国最残酷的政治运动――“文化大革命”中被打成“反革命分子”时，王光美被揪上大街示众。她被迫穿上一件紧得就像要裂开的旗袍，脖子上还挂着一串乒乓球串成的“项链”。之后她被囚禁了12年，据说江青参与了对她的迫害。江青是毛泽东最后一位妻子，也是文化大革命期间实际控制中国的几个人之一。

　　自那以后，“第一夫人”的概念在中国几乎不存在。但现在，习近平打算借用其歌唱家妻子彭丽媛的魅力，来帮助提升中国在海外的形象。去年11月成为中共中央总书记的习近平今日当选中国国家主席，实现了全面掌权。

　　复旦大学(Fudan University)历史学教授陈雁表示：“这是一个象征，意味着中国开始朝国际惯例靠拢。很多人都说，中国有了一个可以让人感到自豪的第一夫人。”

　　与西方国家的第一夫人相比，彭丽媛在习近平出访期间的亮相安排似乎有些低调。知情人士表示，她将在南非发表一次简短演讲。但这是中国迈出的一大步：“江青时代”让中共牢记一个教训，就是政治和家庭不能掺杂在一起，至少不能在公共场合。

　　领导中国告别毛泽东时代并走向改革开放的邓小平，以及他的继任者江泽民，都很少携带夫人出访国外。今天卸任的胡锦涛在大多数出国访问中会带上夫人，但身材娇小的刘永清总是保持沉默。

　　中共越来越不希望让领导人的妻子公开露面，还有一个原因，就是许多领导人的亲属在中国市场改革过程中，获得了超出寻常的经济影响力。将于明日卸任的温家宝总理始终不愿让他的夫人出现在公众视野中，因为作为一位珠宝专家，她的经商活动危及到温家宝的声誉，甚至引发了公众对腐败的不满。

　　去年，英国商人尼尔•海伍德(Neil Heywood)被谋杀的丑闻，让原本有望进入中共领导层的薄熙来失势。薄熙来的妻子谷开来因谋杀海伍德获罪，成为薄熙来倒台的主要原因。

　　在这样一种背景下，塑造彭丽媛的公众形象，对中共而言是一个敏感任务。

　　现年50岁的民歌演唱家彭丽媛在国内是一位超级明星，她拥有少将军衔。许多年间，她是中国中央电视台春节联欢晚会――可以说是中国最大型的娱乐节目――的座上宾。一头大卷发、身穿华美礼服或中国人民解放军制服的彭丽媛，用极具穿透力的标志性女高音歌颂祖国、党或军队，这一画面仍深受老一辈人的喜爱。

　　自2007年习近平进入中共中央政治局常委以来，彭丽媛开始变得低调，不再参加任何商业演出。中共中央政治局常委是中国政治权力的核心。但在2011年，彭丽媛被世界卫生组织(WHO)聘为“抗击结核病和艾滋病亲善大使”。她因此必须和各国政府打交道。许多中国人希望，她能做得更多一些。华东师范大学(East China Normal University)历史学教授姜进表示：“让第一夫人走进公众视野是好事。这是走向政治开放和透明的一步。”

　　彭丽媛的一位朋友表示，她可能产生巨大的影响力。这位朋友说：“她将凭借她的热情性格赢得人心。她是个开朗而率真的人。”

　　这与习近平努力营造的执政风格相符。去年12月，中国官方媒体史无前例地刊发了习近平与家人的合影。英国公共关系专家麦启安(Alistair Michie)认为，这是中国将习近平塑造成一位亲民领导人的战略的一部分。他表示：“这些照片表现出习近平有感情，有家庭，是一个有血有肉的人。”