China's New Boss And The 'L' Word.(Next 2008; POLITICS: XI JINPING)(leadership )

Byline: Jonathan Ansfield and Melinda Liu

Rarely has the word-of-mouth surrounding a new Chinese star differed so dramatically from his official resume. Xi Jinping was anointed in October as the likely successor to President Hu Jintao as party chief in 2012, and his canned bio says little about his family history. But China's gossip mills have been churning overtime. Turns out Xi's dad, revolutionary hero Xi Zhongxun, was purged three times by Mao Zedong and later became a pro-market reformer. He was also one of the few leaders to defend Hu Yaobang, a progressive party chief sacked in 1986, and to condemn the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre -- after which he was rarely seen in public again.

Were such facts better known, they might raise awkward questions for his son. Thus China's state-run media has avoided the subject, and Xi Jinping has deflected questions about his dad -- and his influence on Xi's philosophy. That's left China's new boss a mystery. About the only things analysts can agree on is that he's market-friendly, prudent, and married to a famous singer. Where Xi's heart really lies is unknown.

What is clear is that Xi is popular within the party. His selection as heir apparent this fall surprised many, and came at the expense of Li Keqiang, Hu's handpicked successor. Seems that the president's rivals thought Li was too similar to his mentor in outlook and style. So Xi, who topped a shortlist of up-and-comers in intraparty polling, emerged as the consensus pick instead.

Xi owes much of his popularity to his man-of-the-people image, which he came by early. During the Cultural Revolution in 1968, the 15-year-old Xi was sent to the countryside for a stint of manual labor. Down in rural Hebei province, while his father was being publicly denounced back home, the young Xi impressed the locals with his modesty and hard work -- so much so that, by 21, they'd made him a local party chief and recommended him for university.

Xi, now 54, has carried this history as a badge of honor ever ...