Several new "fan club" microblogs dedicated to top Chinese leaders have attracted hundreds of thousands of followers with postings mainly about the leaders' speeches and activities; a sign, observers say, of more transparent political interaction.

A Sina Weibo account "Xuexifensituan" (learning from Xi fan club) first became popular after posting prompt updates of Party chief Xi Jinping's inspection tour to Gansu Province, in early February.

Another Weibo account, "Xianglixuexi" (Learning from Li), mainly contains posts on the activities, speeches, anecdotes and old pictures of Vice Premier Li Keqiang, and his wife, Cheng Hong. They are referred to as "Brother Li" and "Sister Cheng" and have attracted more than 10,000 followers since it started two weeks ago. It gained more than 1,000 followers on Wednesday alone.

The accounts appear to have been opened by citizens not connected to the leaders. The account holder called "Xianglixuexi" claims to be a simple supporter of Li but refused to reveal any personal information, though the account shows that the owner is a woman.

"I want to let more people know about him, not only detailed political activities, but also interesting stories and warm interactive moments with the public," she told the Global Times Wednesday, adding she hopes the postings will enhance public trust of the leaders.

An official surnamed Qi with the Jilin publicity department, who closely follows social media, told the Global Times Wednesday that the appearance of such Weibo accounts suggests the public expects the new leaders will push reform and facilitate greater transparency of public affairs.

"My colleagues are also learning from them and changing our communication methods. Officials are also lively, ordinary people, and such channels can improve the current brittle relationship between them and the public," she said.

The owner of Xuexifensituan, who writes in plain, witty language and often includes many photos of Xi, has gained a million followers. Netizens suspected it was operated by an official team, until Zhang Hongming, 28, a home renovator in Wuxi, identified himself as the owner on February 10.  He become so stressed at the massive attention he drew that he announced he was leaving Weibo but returned a day later after receiving encouragement from his own online fans.

Both Zhang and the owner of Xianglixuexi said they gather the information they post from published documents and other netizens.

Most people who leave comments on the sites are encouraging. Xianglixuexi is compiling the comments and hopes the authorities will take notice of the insightful ones.