First lady adds charming edge to diplomacy

Peng reads a story by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen alongside Queen Margrethe II of Denmark during their visit to a children's center in Beijing in April last year. [Photo by Wu Zhiyi / China Daily]

In a dark-blue trenchcoat and light-blue scarf, she stepped off the plane in Moscow and onto the world stage, drawing comparisons in the international media to US first lady Michelle Obama, former French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.

Peng is known for her elegant mixture of Western and classic Chinese styles, while some of the brands she has worn, including little-known Chinese labels, have seen dramatic upticks in business.

In March last year, she wore a classic Chinese robe for a banquet at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, and in November, she appeared in a traditional blue, floral-patterned qipao to join Xi in welcoming leaders arriving in Beijing for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting.

Her role in sharing Chinese culture with the world has not stopped with her attire.

She accompanied Michelle Obama, as well as Michelle's mother and her two daughters, on a tour of Beijing's Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, in March last year.