Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

 In a contrast with his commonly seen appearance in jacket and tie at important international and national events, Chinese President Xi Jinping made headlines recently by showing up at a Beijing local steamed bun restaurant, ordering food and having lunch with his fellow citizens.

Unlike inspection visits, which are usually heavily reported on and prepped for, Xi's presence at a local restaurant was a total surprise.

Except for a couple of escorts, he was not accompanied by anyone else, and even the staff of the restaurant, according to media reports, said they had not been informed beforehand.

No journalists were asked to follow and report the news. All the photos and videos of his presence were first exposed online, taken by other diners who happened to be at the same restaurant.

Chinese media made follow-up reports on this small but sensational episode, trying to recover every detail of that day, such as how Xi ordered his meal, paid his bill and received his food by himself.

The president also didn't ask for more security at the restaurant, so that people could come and go freely during his dining.

The order Xi placed that day instantly became popular, known as "Xi Dada's set meal," which means "Uncle Xi's set meal." It was even reported that a Wuhan local, who lived more than 1,000 kilometers away from Beijing, boarded a bullet train to the capital, went to the same restaurant, ordered and ate an "uncle Xi's set meal" and went back home on the same day.

All the staff of the restaurant know exactly what to offer when the admiring diners say they want "uncle Xi's set meal." Visitors are sitting in Xi's spot taking pictures of the meal from every angle.

The president's presence as a general citizen at an ordinary restaurant has been overwhelmingly acclaimed by public opinion. Xi showing his man-of-the-people style is barely suspected of being political grandstanding, on the contrary, this breakthrough approach to shape the new image of China's top leadership is being pleasantly accepted.

For a long time, Chinese senior officials, especially the top leaders, were covered with a mysterious veil. They could only be viewed on important and serious occasions which were reported by traditional media such as TV. Their daily lives were rarely exposed to the public.

This is probably why Xi caused a sensation nationwide after his surprise dining at an ordinary restaurant. Curiosity made people eager to mark this event. It is a signal that has been sent to the public of more leadership-grass roots interactions.

Establishing a man-of-the-people image seems to have become an important task for the top leadership. They are trying to draw closer to the real life of the people. By doing so, they get firsthand information about the reality of ordinary life, and they can also win more favorable impressions from the public.

Xi's surprise visit needs to be interpreted with an eye to the long term. It could be regarded as the start of the top leadership's man-of-the-people campaign, and it will be echoed by leadership of every level in China. When that comes, it is highly possible that people's curiosity about such interactions will cool down and the hunt for novelty will also decline.

"Uncle Xi's set meal" might not be so popular someday, but it marks a transformation of the government's attitude toward the people.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. liuzhun@globaltimes.com.cn