The 2008 Sichuan earthquake struck the province in May 2008 . Mianyang was particularly hard hit . The region was given special attention by the central government ; both General Secretary and President Hu Jintao as well as Premier Wen Jiabao visited the region in the aftermath of the earthquake . In a widely circulated photo , Tan was seen smiling in the entourage of the Premier . In a television broadcast , Tan was also seen smiling amid the debris . Tan 's smiling during the most destructive earthquake to hit the country since 1976 generated significant criticism online ; internet users dubbed him " Tan Xiaoxiao " ( , literally " the laughing Tan " ) or the " Smiling Secretary " ( ) . Tan responded to his critics during a media interview , " I do n't think people know the truth ... behind that incident . The General Secretary and the Premier were both visiting , I was greeting them . I was happy to see them , of course I wanted to smile . " He also said that he faced immense stress coordinating the response to the earthquake , and that " as a public official , you need to withstand this stress from the criticism , otherwise it will affect the work of the earthquake rescue activities . I 'm the party secretary , like any politician , criticism comes with the job . In the aftermath of the earthquake , Tan lived in a makeshift office , on the first floor , and slept on a sofa . '' Southern Weekend '' reported that Tan would scream and cry at night due to dealing with too much stress . Tan later received a medal of distinction from the central authorities for " exemplary work during the rescue efforts of the Sichuan earthquake . " He was praised for the construction of permanent housing for locals in the aftermath of the earthquake , as well as the treatment of the water in a local lake which was affected by the earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
Tan Li