In a recently published study conducted by media researchers from the University of Hong Kong, experts speculate that state worship of leaders appears to be staging a comeback.

Under the spotlight is China President Xi Jinping, whose image has also been the topic of debates. Experts and outside spectators have long been attempting to discern the reason behind the media's evident effort to spruce Xi's image.

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Some claim that these efforts are rooted on the desire to depict Xi as a Mao-like strongman with a firmer grip than his predecessors on all power levels. Others believe that Xi's image simply channels the Communist Party's desire for stronger action and control. 

The study, led by former journalist Qian Gang, examined the People's Daily, the party's flagship newspaper.

These researchers endeavored to analyze and interpret the media's frequent and intense promotion of Xi's image. These efforts, the report says, have even surpassed those exerted since the Mao era.  

The theory stemmed from a comparison made on the coverage of eight top party leaders, namely, Mao Zedong, Hua Guofeng, Deng Xiaoping, Hu Yaobang, Zhao Ziyang, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping.

The media scholars paid particular attention to the first 18 months following each leader's coming to power. Analysis was conducted on the number of articles, front-page appearances, and article mentions in the paper's first eight pages.

The leader worship trend has been detected to reach its peak during the leadership of Mao Zedong in China.

In the late 1960s, Mao was venerated as China's bright red sun and the great savior of the country's people.

He was also recognized as "the great leader, the great supreme commander, the great teacher, and the great helmsman" during the Cultural Revolution in the country.

In fact, the vast majority of the public dedicated badges, busts, and posters to celebrate Mao's eminence, as well as carried around the little red book containing the leader's famous words.

However, such reverence bestowed on Mao gradually declined when Deng Xiaoping, the next leader, rose to power. Deng condemned the leader worship solely dedicated to his predecessor.

In an effort to eliminate this cult of personality, the party's Central Committee issued directive for "less propaganda on individuals." This declaration led to the regression of such feverish public adoration towards Mao.  

At present, Qian's study reveals that the revival of leader worship appears to have begun, and observed to rapidly increase in 2012, the year which marked Xi's rise to power.

The researchers observed that Xi's name has been mentioned practically twice as frequently in party news articles compared with his two immediate predecessors.

According to the study, Xi has been cited in 4,186 articles in the first eight pages of the People's Daily in his first 18 months in power. By contrast, Jiang and Hu appeared in fewer than 2,000 reports.

In addition, the researchers compared the mention frequency of six other Politburo Standing Committee members with Xi citations.

Qian and his group divulged that Xi was cited 745 times in the headlines of the People's Daily front page. This number is twice as many as the mentions of his contemporaries, such as Premier Li Keqiang.

Qian, however, clarifies in a phone interview that the study merely provides quantitative data for the curious observer. He warns that his group's interpretation of the information gathered were not published to express negative comments against the government.

TagsUniversity of Hong Kong, China Media Project, Qian Gang, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping