Meet the Patience Jonathan of China

Yep! This is China's first lady, Peng Liyuan.

Peng Liyuan, 51, is a renowned Chinese contemporary folk singer and performing artist. She has been wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping for over 25 years. Xi Jinping assumed office on the14th of March 2013
Peng is the Dean of the People's Liberation Army Art Academy . She has won many honors in singing competitions nationwide.Peng is a civilian member of China's Peoples's Liberation army and holds the civilian rank equivalent to Major general. She was the first in China to obtain a Master's degree in traditional ethnic music when the degree was established in the 1980s.

Wives of politicians in China have traditionally shied away from the public. But this one was already a celebrity in her homeland when her husband became President.The First Lady has gained thousands of fans obsessed with her sense of style and have often compared her with Jackie Kennedy, Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni. 

But while Mrs Peng's emergence on the world stage has been greeted with delight in China, there are already signs that the  Communist Party which firmly believes that the less the public knows about its leaders, the better, is uncomfortable at the enormous buzz around her. This is evidenced by wiping of her name from the internet by censors. Copies of her clothes that were selling on Taobao, an online marketplace, have also been removed.

"She can relate to people, but what is unique here in China for a first lady is the people can connect to her. She has been well known for 30 plus years. An entire generation has grown up with her." said James Chau, one of the few journalists who has interviewed Mrs Peng. "She is a tangible face they can hang their hopes and dreams on".

Chinese First Lady, Madame Peng Liyuan, left,, waves as she is accompanied by Tanzanian First Lady, Salma Kikwete, right, at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. (Reuters)

First Ladies of Nigeria and United States, Patience Jonathan and Michelle Obama