大象传媒

Powerful poetry

• James Reynolds
• 9 Sep 08, 02:02 PM GMT

Back from a bit of a post-Olympic break...

China's leaders sometimes do their best to look as stolid as possible (they wear identical black suits and blank expressions, they sit in oversized chairs and clap politely). But many of them are known for more than just staring straight ahead and signing decrees.

, who was China's ruler in the 70s and 80s, was "widely known as a master of the game of bridge" according to the official media here. It's not documented whether or not anyone dared to beat him.

China's former president enjoyed singing (both other people's and his own). Last year, when he visited the newly-built National Grand Theatre in Beijing, reports say that he sang arias from Western and Chinese operas. Sadly, his songs don't appear to be available to buy in the shops.

The current president, , doesn't appear to sing in public (apart from the national anthem, presumably). But it's mildly worth knowing that he took a dance class when he was at university. And, as noted here before, he's pretty good at ping-pong.

The current premier, , is also a successful poet. One of his poems has been used in a new film about reform in the forestry industry, Drawing the Border. It's not exactly a Jackie Chan martial arts action film, but it'll no doubt attract a loyal audience of Communist Party members and people intrigued by the latest developments in the forestry industry (there are always many).

The film tells the story of how party officials successfully persuade local villagers to take part in the reform of the forestry industry. The film-makers have used one of Mr Wen's poems, called Looking up at the Starry Sky, as the lyrics of their theme song.

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