Chinese People Paid More Attention to US Yellen's 'Two Meals' Than the Talks

First Meal in Beijing, Created with 'Jaemulsin Menu'
Separate Meeting with Women Entrepreneurs for Encouragement

As U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's visit to China concluded, her informal schedule has become a hot topic among the Chinese, overshadowing the high-level U.S.-China talks. The restaurant she visited was packed with people, and a special menu featuring the dishes she ordered even appeared. The Chinese women economists she met separately to encourage also faced criticism and became a subject of controversy.

On the 6th, immediately after her visit to China, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited Yizuo Yiwang (一坐一忘), a Yunnan cuisine specialty restaurant in Beijing, which began offering the 'Caishen (God of Wealth)' menu starting from the 8th. In front of the restaurant, a signboard (left) was displayed stating, "That's right. The first restaurant visited by U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen in China is Yizuo Yiwang." (Photo by Weibo)

According to China's social networking service (SNS) Weibo on the 9th, the Yunnan cuisine specialty restaurant Yizuo Yiwang (一坐一忘) in Beijing, which Yellen visited shortly after arriving in China on the 6th, began offering a "Caishen (God of Wealth)" menu starting on the 8th. This separate menu was created based on the dishes ordered by Yellen and her entourage, and SNS posts introduced that it was launched thanks to the enthusiasm of netizens and locals. Most of the dishes are healthy-style Yunnan cuisine, including grilled sea bass (148 yuan, about 26,600 KRW), stir-fried mushrooms (248 yuan), beef rolls (68 yuan), as well as desserts like milk cake (58 yuan).

In front of the restaurant, a signboard was displayed stating, "Yes, the first restaurant that U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen visited upon coming to China is Yizuo Yiwang." News of Yellen's visit was revealed by a blogger who visited the restaurant that day, and soon the restaurant's official account also shared the related news, gaining fame.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Yellen's luncheon on the 8th at the Beijing Hyatt Hotel with six women economists also became a topic of interest. Attendees reportedly included Liu Shuwei, a researcher at the China Enterprise Research Center of the Central University of Finance and Economics; Kong Qixiang, a professor at Peking University; Hao Jingfang, a science fiction (SF) writer; Liu Qian, chairman of the Economist Group's Greater China region; Jin Keyu, an associate professor at the London School of Economics; and Si Dan, director of the Industrial Economics Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Yellen reportedly urged the women to demonstrate more leadership. The main dishes served were common Chinese foods such as Beijing roast duck, mapo tofu, and kung pao chicken.

However, negative views about the meeting have also spread. On SNS, posts criticizing the luncheon as an "elite meal" and saying it was "nothing more than penetration into the masses" have circulated widely. On Weibo, especially regarding Hao Jingfang, posts pointed out that she "supported the blank (A4) protests last year."

Yellen's informal schedule, including keywords like "Yellen's first meal in Beijing" and "Yellen's luncheon with women scholars in Beijing," briefly topped the popular search rankings on major portals. This contrasted sharply with the relatively low public interest in the content of the high-level U.S.-China talks online.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.