In March 2007, the tall and portly Xi secured the top job in China’s commercial capital, Shanghai, when his predecessor was caught up in a huge corruption case. Xi held that post until October 2007 when he was promoted to the party’s Standing Committee.
Xi is married to Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), a renowned singer who was once arguably more popular in China than her husband, until the party began ordering her to keep a low profile as Xi moved up the ranks.
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