ASIA IN THE CATEGORY of the world's sexiest politicians, China's dour communist apparatchiks 1 would seem to be far behind…

CHINA'S NEW SEX SYMBOLS

BY ISAAC STONE FISH

       ASIA IN THE CATEGORY of the world's sexiest politicians, China's dour communist apparatchiks¹ would seem to be far behind America's legendary ladies' men presidents and Europe's bunga-bunga leaders. But a survey released in December by the All-China Women's Federation found that a Middle Kingdom mandarin is the top pick for an ideal partner among Chinese women.

      What's the appeal? (It can't be the ill-fitting suits.) It's money, money, money. While government officials receive a modest salary – well under $1,000 a month- they can usually leverage their position for personal gain, often through shady means. A corrupt vice district head in Beijing was recently arrested for accumulating more than $ 6,5 million; in other cases the perks have reached into the hundreds of millions. And even for officials who aren't skimming off the top, a government job (and the attendant legal perks) provides a level of security that's quite desirable for China's marriage-minded ladies, especially compared with a less stable position at a state-owned or private company.

      There's also the growing reputation of Chinese government officials as a particularly virile lot. China's state-owned press often titillates readers with tales of bureaucratic sex scandals: in one major story last year, a provincial tobacco-bureau chief's diary was leaked online, with page after page of prurient details about his trysts² with young beauties (including fellow government employees). The public's reaction was generally sympathetic to the cad. One prominent blogger maintained the bureau chief was a good official because he managed to spend some time with his wife despite the womanizing, took less than $10,000 in bribes, and didn't visit prostitutes. In other words, a real catch. In a survey on the blogger's site, almost all the more than 100,000 respondents thought the official should keep his job. That's sex appeal – and popular appeal.

                                                                                       ( Newsweek, February 7, 2011.) 

apparatchiks¹ : burocratas do partido comunista chinês
trysts² : encontros secretos
No último parágrafo do texto, a preposição despite empregada em − despite the womanizing − pode ser substituída por