Premier Wen 6th popular politician on Facebook

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-03 17:37

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits Lang Zheng in a Mianyang hospital in Sichuan Province in this May 23, 2008 photo. Lang was injured in the deadly May 12 earthquake. [Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Premier Wen Jiabao has become the sixth most popular politician on the US-based Facebook, a popular social networking site, with more than 44,000 "supporters".

Facebook users can show support for Wen by clicking on the "become a supporter" link beside his image. Worldwide, overseas Chinese account for the vast majority of supporters.

Although Wen isn't first on the list, he is the only Asian among the 10 most-supported politicians. Barack Obama of the United States ranks first with more than 874,000 supporters. Wen is, however, well ahead of such notables as George W. Bush and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

Wen's page was set up two days after the May 12 earthquake in southwest China, which killed more than 69,000 people and left more than 18,000 missing. It's a simple page, without such trendy applications as Youtube Box, a link to many streaming video clips. But photos of the premier, 66, shuttling through the hardest-hit towns, and many supportive posts have given the page an incomparable emotional touch.

One of the photos showed Wen, having swapped his normal dark suit for an all-weather jacket and bullhorn, standing in the rain and shouting to a trapped student: "This is Grandpa Wen, hang on, we will rescue you!"

Just hours after the 8.0 magnitude quake, a rescue team, headed by Wen, flew to Sichuan Province, the worst-hit province.

"I could not hold back my tears when I saw the pictures of Premier Wen working at the front of the quake zone," an entry posted by "Jiajia" below his photos said.

"I felt very warm when I read that Premier Wen Jiabao immediately set off to the stricken areas," a netizen calling himself Harold wrote. "I feel like our leaders are always with us when there is any trouble."

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