Chinese officials, not usually known for star appeal, are being thrust into the spotlight on a Website catering to their "fans."

The Website is Fans Circle for Officials of the People's Republic of China (www. zhongguofans.com).

Unlike the site created exclusively for President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao last September, this one has much broader coverage, with pages dedicated to top leaders from certain provinces and cities.

"I hope it can become a platform for the public to freely exchange ideas with the governments," says Yang Yunhe, founder of the site.

A former factory hand and restaurant worker, 33-year-old Yang runs a business that puts advertising on bicycles. He says he knows too well how people toiling at the bottom of the social ladder are frustrated by the very limited channels of communication to those in authority.

But the rise of the Internet provided him an opportunity to help people speak out.

Among the first to have fan pages on Yang's Website were the Party chiefs of Guangdong, Shaanxi and Zhejiang provinces. Shaanxi is Yang's home province, Guangdong spearheaded of China's reform and opening up drive, and Zhejiang is flush with private enterprise.

With greater "political tolerance," Guangdong and Zhejiang are more open to innovation and accepting of the site, he says. Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has also been given a fan page.

Fans leave laudatory messages for their adored officials, upload pictures, discuss hot topics and post articles on political and social issues. Wang Yang, Party chief of Guangdong known for his creative reform ideas and active participation in online forums, has won the most popularity.

One site aficionado nicknamed "Gentleman Huachuan," from Zhejiang Province, tells Xinhua he learned of the Website from another online forum. "I like its truth-telling style," he says, adding that he had posted occasional articles concerning people's livelihoods.

In addition to expressing their admiration, fans contribute ideas for local development, raise issues vital to the public's interest and offer suggestions for improving efficiency and transparency.

A fan from Huazhou City, Guangdong, reminds Wang Yang on his fan page that places outside the Pearl River Delta in the province are left behind and benefit much less from the economic boom.

Another visitor nicknamed "farmer schoolmaster" appeals to local officials to make up for a shortage of education funds for local schools

Some leave sharp criticisms. "An old Party member" lashes out at corrupt officials, saying some only want to line their own pockets.

A goodwill gesture

Another writes that "the relation between officials and the public is quite tense at present." Yang says this is all part of his original idea to let the public voice their opinions and make themselves heard.

"We emerged as a goodwill gesture to show it is for the benefit of the government and of the country, instead of going against it," Yang says, explaining why he screens all comments before posting them on the site.

"I will block what I think is anti-Party," he says. His main message to officials is: "If you perform well, you'll have our support; otherwise, you fail."

Professor Zhang Kai of the Beijing-based Communication University of China, thinks the site has its own value. "It can help draw the officials closer to the general public, and propel two-way communication in an easier climate," she says.

But it remains at the initial stage, with only about 200 registered fans and 40,000 clicks so far. Yang has invited a dozen leading Chinese scholars, writers and anchormen to contribute, but none has responded.

Nor have any of the featured officials popped up to answer questions and requests from their fans. But Yang believes that officials are watching the site closely although he has never received feedback from them. An official from Yiwu's press office says it is paying close attention to the site.

China had 298 million Internet users by the end of 2008, of whom 91 percent had the access to broadband, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

Last year saw a peak in social and political activity on the Internet.

In June, President Hu visited Qiangguo Forum, a virtual forum organized by the People's Daily, and chatted with the public.

Premier Wen also said that he used the Internet to listen to public opinions and suggestions.

Meanwhile, Internet vigilantes, known as "human flesh search engines", hunted down a string of government officials, including the deputy head of Shenzhen's marine affairs bureau, who allegedly tried to molest a teenage girl, and an official of Nanjing's property bureau, who misused public funds to buy luxury goods.

"We ordinary people cannot escape from taking responsibility if the government goes wrong," says Yang. "We shall push the government to make changes."

His plans to expand the site to include officials from 500 cities, as his site is inundated with requests from other places.

(Shanghai Daily January 23, 2009)