Ms Wang greeting Mr Obama at the town hall-style forum in Shanghai on Nov 16. Netizens have been gushing over her beauty, poise and dress sense. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING - ANOTHER person who met United States President Barack Obama recently is also getting a lot of publicity, but unlike Virginia socialites Tareq and Michaele Salahi, it's about the coat she wore.
Chinese university student Wang Zifei was snapped by photographers sitting behind the US President when he met Chinese citizens at a town hall-style forum on Nov 16, while on his visit to Shanghai.
Clad in a black dress and red coat, she was photographed taking off her coat. The photographs have been compiled into an animation of sorts, raising a huge buzz online.
Online forums have been gushing over her beauty and poise, with netizens describing in detail her looks and dress sense.
Some, however, speculated that she had actively courted the attention. Whatever the conclusion, it is clear Ms Wang has caught the attention of Chinese netizens - and others. According to the China Daily, Google searches for 'Obama girl in red coat' in China turned up nearly seven million results.
Ms Wang, a business management student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, however, appears to be a reluctant celebrity. This week, on her blog, she broke her silence about the photos and said she did not welcome the public interest. 'I don't want to be popular in this way,' she wrote. -- AP
Read the full story in The Sunday Times.
