China's first lady Peng Liyuan impresses with fluent English speech at United Nations

After dazzling fans with her easy grace, divine singing voice and elegant fashion sense, China's first lady Peng Liyuan  has shown another talent – fluency in English.

Peng, UNESCO’s Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education, delivered a speech in English at the Global Education First Initiative event at the United Nations in New York on Saturday.

In a slow but firm voice with distinct pronunciation, Peng shared with the audience how her father established a night school in a small village in China to teach villagers to read newspapers and write their names.

Watch: Peng Liyuan's speech at the United Nations

“As his daughter, I know what education means to the people, especially those without it,” said Peng, who said being a beneficiary of China’s progress in education had enabled her to become a soprano and professor of music.

“Education is about women and girls. It is important for girls to go to school because they will become their children’s first teachers someday. But women still account for over half of the world’s poor and 60 per cent of adults who cannot read,” said Peng.