From The New York Times
Move Over Mao: Beloved ‘Papa Xi’ Awes China
By Andrew Jacobs and Chris Buckley
BEIJING — The must-see tourist sights of the Chinese capital form a grandiose circuit: the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and, for early birds willing to brave long lines, the mausoleum of Mao Zedong.
But there is a new stop on Beijing’s sightseeing loop: an unassuming fast-food restaurant on the west side that has become a pilgrimage destination for fans of the president, Xi Jinping....
The restaurant’s morning-till-night crowds are just one barometer of the adulation directed at Mr. Xi since he assumed power in 2012. His serene smile graces ornamental plates and good luck trinkets, and a book of his thoughts on governing has been translated into eight languages with 17 million copies reportedly sold or given away....
“You can see the whole Chinese propaganda machine has geared up to promote his personality,” said Xiao Qiang, an adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who monitors developments in Chinese media and censorship for the website China Digital Times. “It’s become over the top.”...