An Armani suit-clad 13-year-old boy who was invited to observe Shenzhen's annual legislative and political advisory sessions has aroused debate, with some speculating that the boy comes from a rich family and questioning his qualifications.
On Friday, a student named Liu Bo was among the 10 youth representatives who were invited to observe the two sessions by the Shenzhen City Committee of the Communist Youth League, the Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday. He was pictured wearing a well-fitting designer suit at the 6th Shenzhen City Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and these images later spread online.
Many netizens questioned whether he was qualified to be an observer and asked if his apparently wealthy background explained his invite.
An official from the committee told the media that the youth-representative plan was aimed at involving more young people in social affairs and public management.
Liu was well qualified as he has experience in attending political events despite his young age, the official claimed.
According to Liu's mother, she was surprised when Liu received the invitation on January 18. She explained that her family is neither rich nor powerful. The controversial Armani suit was a costume left over from a concert in which Liu performed and the family did not buy it, she told the Beijing Youth Daily.
Hu Xingdou, a professor from the Beijing Institute of Technology, said that usually observers of meetings are senior officials, or celebrities. But many cities have invited young people to observe meetings before.
"There are no specific qualifications for observers. In many Western countries, governments allow every citizen to sit in and observe. I hope one day we can do that too in China."
