China's prime minister doesn't play traditional role of officials
By ANDREW JACOBS
The New York Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004430869_wen22.html
He is widely known as "the crying prime minister," although he prefers to be called "Grandpa Wen."
Over the past week, as Wen Jiabo toured earthquake-shattered northern Sichuan, he has hollered words of encouragement to those trapped beneath fallen buildings and shared tearful moments with orphans.
Since ascending to the post of prime minister in 2003, Wen, 65, has cultivated an image as a man of the people, a rarity in the pantheon of Chinese leaders, who are often seen as placing the authority of the Communist Party above the wants of individuals.
Now, as the nation grapples with its greatest natural disaster in three decades, Wen's persona as an empathetic, benevolent official has been cemented in popular lore.
He has become the public and inescapable face of a nation's grief since he arrived in the Sichuan Province less than two hours after the quake struck.
His high-profile humanitarian gestures, played again and again on television, have stood in stark contrast to the response of the rulers of Myanmar, who have been widely denounced for inaction toward the cyclone victims.
"He really loves the common people, and we can see this is not an act," said Wang Liangen, 72, a retired math teacher from Dujiangyan, who watched last week as the prime minister climbed over the wreckage of a school where hundreds of children were buried. "He has brought the people closer together, and brought the people closer to the government."
Some analysts say Wen's unusually public role may signal at least a modest shift in the way the Communist Party interacts with the citizenry.
"His quick response and immediate appearance will set a precedent for other officials," said Fang Ning, a political scientist at the China Academy of Social Science in Beijing.
Wen and his boss, President Hu Jintao, do seem inclined to show the world a kindler, gentler side of official China in advance of the Olympic Games.
After the international backlash over China's crackdown on ethnic Tibetans, the leaders have used the quake to show their authoritarian government can be responsive, even populist, at crucial moments.
"I think the earthquake really has the potential to change things," said Cheng Li, a senior fellow of the Brookings Institution, who argues that Wen — whose second appointed term expires in 2012 — is one of China's brightest and most pragmatic modern leaders.
Even before his performance in Sichuan, he said Wen was a champion for China's have-nots, an advocate of broadening the use of legal norms to help govern the country, and a bulwark against conservatives.
"A lot of Chinese have been overwhelmed by Wen and his sincerity, honesty and humanity," Li said. "Not many leaders have his qualities."
Wen often talks about democracy but is not a proponent of Western-style reforms. He remains an unwavering advocate of single-party rule, and he has taken a hard line on Tibet, blaming the Dalai Lama for instigating ethnic Tibetan unrest in March.
In public statements, he has said China is not afraid to use its military might to prevent Taiwan from declaring independence.
Despite Wen's well-tended image as an apolitical pragmatist, cynics note he did not earn his lofty post by playing nice.
"It takes a considerable amount of political skill and cunning to become premier of China," said Fred Teiwes, a professor of Chinese politics at the University of Sydney in Australia.
Wen is nothing if not the consummate survivor. A lifelong technocrat, he made his way to the top by pleasing his superiors, hewing to the party line and making few enemies.
A trained geologist who comes from a family of teachers, he served as a top aide to successive party bosses, Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang in the 1980s. Both leaders were purged after opposing harsh crackdowns on liberals, but Wen went on to serve in senior posts under more conservative successors.
As with most Chinese leaders, much about him remains a mystery. But he presents himself as self-effacing and penurious.
In contrast to Hu, an opaque and aloof statesman, Wen favors a colloquial speaking style, even if his comments always hew closely to the party script. Unlike his predecessor, Zhu Rongji, who was known for his jocular manner and snap decisions, Wen, when faced with tough economic-policy choices, will often spend days ruminating and consulting before deferring to fellow members of the ruling Politburo Standing Committee for a collective decision, party officials have said.
"He may not be a good leader," said Li, of Brookings, "but the perception out there is that he's a good person."
他是众所周知的“哭泣的总理”，虽然他更愿意被称为“温爷爷”。
在过去的一个星期里，温家宝马不停蹄的视察了遭受地震灾害的四川北部，他向被困在坍塌建筑下的幸存者们喊话鼓励他们，他与孤儿们在一起时泪流满面。
自从2003年升任总理一职以来，65岁的温家宝已经塑造了一副平易近人的形象，他在历代中国领导人中是相当罕见的，因为他们看似经常把共产党的权力置于个人的需要之上的。
现在，在整个国家与30年来最大的一次自然灾害做斗争的时候，温作为一个充满同情心和爱心的官员的角色已经深入人心。
自从他在地震后两个小时内抵达四川省，他已经不可避免的成为这个国家不幸的公众面孔。
他被媒体反复报道的立场鲜明的人道主义姿态与缅甸统治者的反应形成鲜明的对比，后者因对当地飓风受灾者的反应迟钝而备受谴责。
“他确实热爱普通百姓，我们可以看出来这并非作秀，”王连根（因），都江堰的一位72岁的退休数学教师，他上周亲眼看到总理爬过教学楼的废墟，那里埋了数百个孩子。“他让人民团结得更紧密，也让人民与政府的关系更亲密。”
一些分析人士认为，温家宝不同以往的公众角色可能是预示着党与民众互动方式发生了或多或少的改变。
“他对地震的快速回应和迅速出现在灾区的举动为其他官员开创了一个先例。”中国社科院的政治学家房宁说。
温家宝和他的BOSS，胡锦涛主席，看来都试图在奥运会即将到来之际向世界展示出中国领导人更充满温情，更温和的一面。
在经历了国际社会对中国“镇压”西藏人的强烈反对之后，中国的领导人利用地震来显示他们的“专制”政府在关键时刻是反应迅速的，是关心民众的。
“我认为地震确实可能带来改变，”程立(音)，布鲁金斯学会的高级成员说，他认为将于2012年结束第二个任期的温家宝是中国最睿智最注重实干的现代领导人。
即使在四川的表现以前，他说温家宝也是一个中国穷人的维护者，一个放宽法律规范的使用以助于管理国家的倡导者，一个反对保守路线的堡垒。
很多中国人被温家宝和他的真诚，诚实和仁慈所打动，李说，并非很多领导人拥有相同的品质。
温经常谈论民主，但他并非西方式改革的倡议者。他坚持一党统治，对待西藏问题上采用强硬路线，谴责达赖喇嘛煽动三月份的西藏骚乱。
在公开讲话中，温说，中国不担心使用军队的力量来阻止西藏宣布独立。
尽管温精心维护着不关心政治的实干主义者的形象，有讽刺者注意到他并没有因为他干的不错而赢得很高的地位。
“他采用了大量的政治技巧和手腕当上了总理，”Fred Teiwes,悉尼大学的中国政治学教授说到。
温如果不是明哲保身将一无所有，当了一辈子的技术专家型官员，他迎合上级从而进入高层，服从党的纪律，树敌甚少。
他出身于一个教师家庭，是一个受过良好训练的地质学家，他在80年代成为先后成为党的领导人，胡，赵的首席副手。两位领导人都因反对残酷镇压自由主义者而被肃清，但是温仍然待在高位上在更保守的继任者手下继续服务。与大多数中国领导人一样，关于他的更多的资料仍然是一个谜。但是他总是表现得谦卑吝啬。
与让人捉摸不透的远离公众视线的胡不同，温更喜欢口语化的表达方式，即使他的评论总是紧跟着党的文件。不同于他的前任，以诙谐幽默和刚毅果断闻名的朱，在面对严峻的经济政策抉择时，温在服从其他政治局常委成员以达成集体决策之前总是会用数天时间来思考和咨询。
“他可能不是一个好的领导人，”布鲁金斯学会的李说，“但是我们能感受到的是他是一个好人。”
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