A research team from Shanghai's Fudan University has found that 96 percent of students who mentioned Xi Jinping or shared posts about him on Sina Weibo over the past two years displayed a "positive attitude" towards him.
The study, which looked at over 1,700 post-secondary students, found that the Chinese president was the most popular among 15 frequently discussed public figures - and with university entrance exams like this, it's no surprise.
What the study fails to take into account, however, is the glaringly obvious fact that all posts expressing anything except "positive energy" are quickly expunged from the popular micobloging platform.
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A quick search for Xi's name on FreeWeibo, which logs deleted posts, reveals just how many posts about the country's leader are removed everyday. Since Xi's rise to power, internet and press freedom in China have become even more restricted.
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma was the second most popular figure, according to the study, with a 90 percent positive rating. Racecar driver cum writer Han Han placed third and now-retired Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, whose last film The Wind Rises was kept out of mainland cinemas owing to its sympathetic portrayal of a WWII-era aircraft engineer, came in fourth.
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[Images via iFeng]
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