But the 47-year-old is better known among local Internet users as ‘classmate Yang’.
Since he first registered and logged onto the Zhuzhou Forum of Hunan-based news portal on May 14, Yang has posted 216 topics that have garnered huge response from the online community.
One of his postings, titled ‘Eight Problems with Zhuzhou Officials’ Work Style,’ was read 18,697 times and received 502 replies.
Yang is just one of the many government officials and deputies to the local and national legislatures — the people’s congresses — who have come to value the Internet as an important channel for expressing public opinion in the country.
President Hu Jintao (seen in our illustration), when Internet users asked how he spent his time online, during an online chat with them on June 20, said:
‘I log on to view domestic and foreign news, to learn of people’s interests, and to solicit their advice and opinion about the work of our government and Party.
‘I am very interested in the advice and opinions raised.
‘We must listen to the people and lean on their wisdom to do a good job.’
Seeking people’s advice from the Internet is now becoming routine for officials.
At the annual session of the National People’s Congress this year, many representatives worked out their proposals by collecting public opinion from blogs.
Much, much more on this HERE.
Source: English People’s Online Daily