Steamed buns mania spreads to Guangzhou

Updated: 2014-12-08 07:50

By Xu Jingxi in Guangzhou(China Daily USA)

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Crowds form long lines to buy snack after Xi pictured at outlet in Beijing

The craze for Qingfeng steamed stuffed buns that started a year ago when President Xi Jinping was pictured eating them at an outlet in Beijing is showing no signs of fading.

The 66-year-old Qingfeng chain was invited to take part in the Guangzhou International Food Festival in Guangdong.

Its booth has attracted long lines since the 10-day event opened on Nov 28, with customers having to wait at least two hours to buy the buns.

A cold front that hit Guangzhou on Sunday night, lowering the temperature by 8 C, did little to cool enthusiasm for the buns in a city known for its good food.

Photographs of customers surrounding the booth have gone viral on the Internet. Some customers were so excited after buying the same treat as Xi that they took selfies with the buns in their hands.

Xue Hua, a woman in her 50s, revisited the booth on Thursday after failing to buy buns on Sunday because the line was too long.

"I came specially to try the buns that our president ate," Xue said as she stood in the middle of the long line after waiting for an hour and 45 minutes.

"I believe the buns will taste good, but, actually, I don't care whether they taste good or not. When I heard that Qingfeng buns were coming to the festival, I decided I had to buy some.

"I admired President Xi a lot when he went to a bun shop where ordinary people go and ordered what they eat. It shows he is very much a man of the people."

Booth manager Cao Shuqin said she had not expected the buns to prove so popular. She said the outlet sold 70,000 buns in five days, and additional fillings had to be flown to Guangzhou from the chain's base in Beijing.

Steamed buns mania spreads to Guangzhou

Each customer is allowed to buy a maximum of 12 buns at a cost of 30 yuan ($4.88).

There are 202 booths at the festival selling a wide range of foods from home and abroad, but only Qingfeng buns are attracting long queues.

However, Cao said the brand does not use Xi's visit as a promotional gimmick.

"We don't use eye-catching names such as 'President's Set Meal' for what President Xi bought and ate at Qingfeng," she said as she filled and steamed buns alongside her staff.

"I think the reason Qingfeng has become so popular is that the buns taste good, use clean materials and are cheap. It didn't become famous all of sudden because of Xi's visit."

Cao said Qingfeng, whose 200-odd stores are all located in northern China, might open a store in Guangzhou when "the time is ripe". If it does, the buns will retain their traditional Beijing flavor rather than being adapted to suit local tastes.

Qingfeng are not the only food outlets that have become popular after visits by leaders.

The Yaoji Chaogan stir-fried liver restaurant in Beijing and a hotpot restaurant in Chengdu, Sichuan province, attracted more customers after visits by US Vice-President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Peng Peng, a senior researcher at the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, said the boom in business was predictable because of the celebrity effect.

"These restaurants should cherish the opportunity and must maintain the quality of their foods when promoting their brands with state leaders' visits," he said.

Zhou Chutian contributed to the story.

xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn

 Steamed buns mania spreads to Guangzhou

Customers wait in a line to buy Qingfeng buns on Wednesday in Guangzhou, as the 66-year-old chain takes part in the Guangzhou International Food Festival. Zou Zhongpin / China Daily

(China Daily USA 12/08/2014 page5)

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