Xi eats at traditional bun shop in Beijing
Print Edition
President Xi Jinping dropped in at a traditional Beijing bun shop yesterday, queuing up, ordering and paying for a simple lunch of buns stuffed with pork, onions, green vegetables and stir-fried pig livers and intestines.
After spotting Xi, fellow diners took photos of the president and shared them on China’s social media. State media reposted the photos on their microblog accounts and Xinhua news agency reported about Xi’s lunch on its Chinese-language news site.
Guo Xueqin, a cashier at the store, said she didn’t recognize Xi as he stepped in.
“I could never have imagined it. Very surprised,” Guo told China News Service.
“Had it not been for the photos, it would be incredulous to believe Xi, as a dignified president and Party chief, should eat at a bun shop,” author Wu Xiqi wrote in an editorial carried by the Communist Party’s official news site.
“Xi’s act has subverted the traditional image of Chinese officials, ushering a warm, people-first gust of wind that is very touching indeed.”
The manager of the Qingfeng buns shop, He Yuanli, said Xi and a small entourage arrived at the no-frills eatery in western Beijing around noon without prior notification. She said Xi paid 21 yuan (US$3.40) for his lunch.
While Xi was queuing up for a vacant seat, many diners who recognized him came up to greet and shake hands with him.
“They were very excited, and the Party general secretary kept smiling all the while,” He told China News Agency.
“There was no special security measure during his stay,” the manager told The Associated Press. “Customers could freely enter and leave the restaurant, and many took photos with him.”
Established in 1948, the 500-square-meter shop in a residential area features buns and stir-fried livers and intestines. There are about 60 tables, as well as benches, according to the China News Service.
In one photo, a chef posed with Xi, who continued eating his meal as the picture was taken.
Since he took over as the Party chief and president, Xi has sought to keep in touch with regular people, partly by paying scheduled visits to factories and homes.
Heating company
Before the lunch, Xi visited a heat supply company, the Beijing Jingqiao Thermal Power Co Ltd, and the Sijiqing seniors nursing home in Beijing, extending New Year greetings to front-line staff and seniors all over the country.
Xi arrived at the heating company in southwest Beijing at about 9am to learn about the city’s heating planning layout, equipment upgrade and heat supply network, Xinhua reported.
The president asked the staff to work meticulously to ensure all households can enjoy a warm winter and a happy holiday.
Xi shook hands with the staff and bent over to check the viewing screen of the control desk, inquiring about operation conditions of the generating units.
Xi stressed the importance of safety, asking them to develop new technology and greener energy, adding that improvements in such sectors are necessary to reduce emission and air pollution.
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