CHINA:Premier Wen Jiabao has emerged as a popular hero of the emergency, writes Clifford Coonanin Dujiangyan
HE'S SHOUTED through a megaphone to survivors in the rubble, hugged rescuers and rescued alike and urged the People's Liberation Army on to even greater acts of heroism in helping the victims of this week's earthquake in Sichuan.
Premier Wen Jiabao has emerged as the popular hero of the earthquake relief effort, and the state-run media have run continuous footage of Grandad Wen as he climbs through the rubble to help with the relief effort, even in some of the most isolated areas affected by the quake.
His phrase: "As long as there is a glimmer of hope" has become the mantra of efforts to provide relief to the millions affected by the quake.
Wen has issued the order to make sure that anyone who can be saved, must be saved. Strong words that have been enthusiastically welcomed by the Chinese people.
"The central government hasn't forgotten about this place. We will rescue those who are injured. If the roads are blocked, we'll use airplanes to lift them out," he told survivors in Wenchuan, which is at the epicentre of the quake and is still largely cut off, though more relief is getting through.
He looked tired in the state media broadcast, hardly surprising given the amount of time he has spent flying around the earthquake zone. There are as many pictures of him wearing his trademark anorak now as there are of him wearing the sober blue suits favoured by the Communist Party leadership.
"Premier Wen was here, you know," is a phrase that many displaced people and relatives of victims tell you as soon as they start to describe their experience. Even victims' parents mention a visit from the "people's premier" as a source of considerable pride.
This man-of-the-people image is carefully cultivated by Wen, a former mining engineer. He usually spends Chinese New Year chatting with farmers and country folk, underlining his folk hero credentials and pushing home the government's message about cutting the wealth gap between rural and urban China.
This year China's worst blizzards for decades saw him spend Chinese New Year in Guangzhou train station, trying to soothe angry migrant workers prevented from returning home by the bad weather.
Wen is also first on the scene when there is a coal mining disaster, something of which he has experience given his profession. He comforts relatives and calls for official inquiries. He was once shown to have worn the same anorak two years in a row, which boosted his comradely image.
There are sound political reasons to encourage popular leaders. The Communist Party is not democratically elected and takes its mandate from the 1949 revolution that brought it to power. As China changes swiftly, the party needs to find ways of maintaining the support among the people that it already enjoys.