President Xi Jinping once again sent Chinese social media abuzz and roaring with praises when he made a surprise appearance at a popular shopping enclave in Central Beijing Tuesday morning.

With a small entourage in tow, the Chinese leader braved the city's heavy smog, sans mask, to mingle with the weekday crowd at Nanluoguxiang in Dongcheng district.

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Nanluoguxiang is a popular shopping street frequented by young Chinese and tourists for its motley line of food stalls, clothing and souvenir shops.  

The predominantly young crowd eagerly brought out their cameras and mobile phones to document yet another impromptu public appearance by the Chinese leader and soon flooded social media with photos and videos of Xi walking down the street, visiting homes, and exchanging pleasantries with residents.

An amateur video posted online showed the crowd applauding as Xi approached.

"The Party must always join hands with the people, breathing together, sharing the same fate," said one post on Weibo.

"Right on, Big Xi didn't wear a face mask," wrote another micro-blogger.

With the capital and its surrounding areas battling heavy pollution for the sixth straight day, a mask-less Xi walking around in public seemed to drive home a message of solidarity with ordinary folks that have been saddled with dirty air, allowing them to breathe in an air of excitement, at least for a while.