All hail the mighty uncle - Chinese welcome Xi as the 'core'

Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a speech at the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, July 1, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

BEIJING (Reuters) - Hailing "mighty Uncle Xi", Chinese people have taken to social media using an old imperial term to welcome President Xi Jinping's naming by the Communist Party as its "core", despite party efforts to limit his cult of personality.

Following a four-day plenum, the party late on Thursday gave Xi the title "core", putting him on par with past strongmen like Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, though it also signalled his power would not be absolute by underscoring the importance of collective leadership.