Henan Business Daily
August 4, 2008

A photograph of China's Premier Wen Jiabao jumping up to shoot a basketball dominated the front page in today's newspapers. Today's Henan Business Daily printed the photo along with a big caption: The Premier is so handsome.

The photo was shot yesterday while Wen Jiabao was visiting China's Olympic basketball team in the Wukesong Gymnasium, the Olympic basketball venue. It was reported that Wen took five shots and made at least one. The article said, "when the ball went into the basket, the audience burst into resounding applause."

Wen received a basketball with the signatures of all players of the team as a present, and, in return, Wen signed his name on the basketball he had played with and gave it the team.

Xi Jinping kicks a soccer ball

Since Chairman Mao famously swam across the Yangze River in 1966, it seems a certain amount of athletic prowess has become a requirement for China's top leaders. Hu Jintao was celebrated when he beat the Japanese table-tennis player Ai Fukuhara during his May visit to Japan. Wen Jiabao is not only good at basketball, he is said to be a good baseball player too. Even Xi Jinping, the current Vice President who many believe may succeed Hu Jintao, made the news recently when he kicked a football while inspecting the Olympic football venue in Qinhuangdao.