Former Chinese president Hu Jintao was perhaps the most boring leader in modern times. His only recorded joke came when he was visiting the U.S. in 2007. The then-governor of New Jersey, James McGreevey, told Mr. Hu—whose hair was jet-black—that he did not look his 59 years. Mr. Hu replied: “China would be happy to share its technology in this area.”
Why do Chinese leaders dye their hair? It has nothing to do with communist ideology. The idea that black-haired rulers project an image of vigor and energy dates back to ancient times. As the Confucian philosopher Mencius put it in the 4th century B.C., “white-haired people” should be cared for rather than engage in heavy work. It would be strange, in a Chinese context, to be ruled by “white-haired people,” and one professional coiffeur estimated that Chinese politicians need to touch up their hair roots every 10 days or so to maintain that jet-black look.
For a Chinese leader to have white hair would be a sign that he has left poli...
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