Heroes worshipped Villains vilified

Who's gone from hero to zero this week in Beijing? Who has the halo of goodness shining above their heads, and whose dastardly deeds have plumbed the depths of depravity?

Hero of the week

Fowl play leaves blood

There was great news for Chinese patriots this week, when an innovative new breakfast item was discovered to complement their taste for red songs and red films. Introducing "red eggs," protein-rich yolks that acquire their coloring from hens being visited by their "big aunties."

China's contribution to the evolution of food is unrivaled worldwide, having engineered "super rice," exploding watermelons, glow-in-the-dark pork and now bloody eggs. A woman surnamed Bai from Qingdao, Shandong Province, received the shock of her life when she cracked open a store-bought egg to find red, gooey liquid mixed among the yolk. 

Bai was even more shocked when a spokesperson from Rensun company, the egg producer, told her that the egg white looked red because the "hens were menstruating."

Researchers from the China Agricultural University rejected the explanation, pointing out that while hens might appear overly emotional or agitated for a week each month, they cannot menstruate.

Villain of the week

CPPCC and NPC fashionistas

Fashion Week has hit Beijing, bringing all the latest styles from Milan, Paris and New York. But those hoping to find models flaunting their threads on the catwalk might be disappointed, as all the action is at the Great Hall of the People.

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) members and National People's Congress (NPC) deputies are the "models" on show, with many threatening to upstage the colorful costumes and ornate headdresses worn by participants representing ethnic minorities.

As China's annual showpiece of political theater, the two sessions are a warm-up for the Communist Party's 18th congress in autumn. 

Nothing quite says you understand people from all walks of life and their financial hardships than wearing leather belts worth 20,000 yuan ($3,166) like CPPCC member Xu Jiayin, or carrying Hermes handbags worth 100,000 yuan, as elegantly done by councilor Zheng Mingming.