Sunday, November 02, 2003

How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm?

Dot.com millionaire weds Chinese president's girl:
In a sign of the ever closer relations between power and money in the new China, the daughter of its Communist president, Hu Jintao, was reported this weekend to have married one of its new millionaire internet tycoons.

Hu Haiqing, 33, married Mao Daolin - no relation to Mao Tse-tung - in Hawaii, according to the Asian Wall Street Journal.

But the marriage was kept secret, in line with the normal practice of the leadership to reveal as little of their family lives as possible.
Oh no, a capitalist tool!

But if you think that's a tad odd, how about this?
Chinese websites report that Miss Hu studied for eight years in the United States, living under a pseudonym, and that she applied unsuccessfully for a green card.

If true, she would not be the first princeling to have studied at capitalism's heart. Deng Zhifang, the youngest son of the former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, studied at the University of Rochester and his son is a US citizen.

Mr Mao himself did a masters degree at Stanford University. Also known by his western name Daniel, he used to be chief executive of sina.com, one of three internet companies that dominates China.

He remains on the board and his net worth has been put at $61 million. Shares in Chinese dotcoms, listed on the US Nasdaq market, have been among the highest risers in the world this year.
That high pitched whine is Chairman Mao spinning in his grave.