U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who oversees one of the world's most significant economic relationships (between the U.S. and China), has turned into a "darling" and a topic of conversation among Chinese social media users. An intriguing report published by Axios revealed the reasons behind the buzz that Yellen generates every time she travels to China, where she has visited Beijing twice, becoming a social media star on both occasions.
Recently, Yellen returned from a visit to China, and once again, Chinese social media buzzed about her trip, as Yellen enjoys significant popularity among her counterparts and with a portion of the general public in China. The main topic currently garnering considerable interest across Chinese social media platforms is where Yellen dines, as she is often praised for her cultural authenticity.
Yellen was seen dining out on her first night in Guangzhou, at the first stop of four days of meetings in China. Members of the Treasury delegation visited "Tao Tao Ju," a Cantonese restaurant that is over a century old. A post from a Chinese state media account shared a video of the American delegation dining online, praising Yellen's proficiency with chopsticks. Some also noted that Yellen requested the restaurant remove barriers separating her group from other diners, allowing the public to see her.
The dining clip was among the most popular posts on Weibo, highlighting her strong presence on social media, with mentions of Yellen carrying her own bags upon arrival in Beijing and during the meetings. The Dean of Peking University welcomed Yellen in the Chinese capital, but despite her popularity, the press was asked to avoid close shots of the university students participating in a roundtable with Yellen for fear of them being targeted by U.S. opponents.
In July, during her first trip to China as Treasury Secretary, Yellen mentioned that she tried mushrooms that she later learned could be psychoactive if not cooked properly. The restaurant serving them, Yi Zuo Yi Wang, saw an increase in interest and subsequently branded a menu featuring all the dishes Yellen sampled, including the mushrooms.
