Hu Haiqing, the daughter of China's president, Hu Jintao, was reported this weekend to have married one of the country's new millionaire internet tycoons – Mao Daolin, also known by his western name Daniel, who used to be chief executive of Sina.com, one of China's top three Internet companies.
Mao, who obtained his masters degree from Stanford University, remains on the board and his net worth has been put at $61 million, as shares in Chinese dotcoms have been among the highest risers in the world this year.
The match may be something of an embarrassment to President Hu. Although "princelings", as the children of top Communists have become known, have become notorious for doing well in both politics and business, Hu has made a concentrated call for "modest and prudent' lifestyles. The personal wealth of those associated with the Communist leaders is one of the greatest though usually unwritten complaints of ordinary people in China.