The New York Times looks at the legacy of “Grandpa Wen” in the wake of the Sichuan earthquake:
Now, as the nation grapples with its greatest natural disaster in three decades, Mr. 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 jumped on a government jet bound for Sichuan Province less than two hours after the earthquake 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 victims of a devastating cyclone. But Mr. Wen also appears to have forged a new, media-savvy mold for Chinese leaders, who have long delegated propaganda work to lower-ranking officials and the state-run press.
