Janet Yellen's Beijing Visit Triggers Wild Mushroom Craze In China

During her recent visit to Beijing, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen not only engaged in diplomatic discussions but also managed to boost business for a local Yunnan restaurant chain and brought a unique mushroom, jian shou qing, into the national spotlight.

What Happened: Shortly after Yellen landed in Beijing, her delegation was spotted dining at Yi Zuo Yi Wang, a restaurant chain specializing in Yunnan food, CNN reported.

The restaurant confirmed the visit on its Weibo account, noting that Yellen ordered four portions of jian shou qing, a Yunnan wild mushroom species. The restaurant’s business has reportedly surged following Yellen’s visit.

Yellen’s visit to Beijing was primarily to discuss various macroeconomic and financial issues with senior Chinese officials The US Treasury Secretary also urged China to step up support in addressing the existential threat of climate change.

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Why It Matters: Yellen’s visit to the Yunnan restaurant and her choice of the unique mushroom dish have sparked discussions on social media, with many expressing curiosity about who picked the restaurant and others noting they were impressed by Yellen’s chopsticks skills.

Yunnan cuisine has long been a beloved dining option all over China and has soared in popularity among young urban Chinese in recent years. The province is home to about 800 species of mushrooms that people eat, making it a hotspot for mushroom lovers.

Despite the hallucinogenic properties of jian shou qing, it is considered a common delicacy among Yunnan locals and is a popular dish at Yunnan restaurants throughout China, where the mushrooms are properly prepared to avoid any negative effects.

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Janet Yellen Photo by Alexandros Michailidis on Shutterstock