The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.
All websites are to find and delete the China News Service article “Yan’an’s Red Tourism Heats Up, Touts ‘Presidential Set Meal’ of Xi Jinping’s Sent-Down Youth.” (October 9, 2015) [Chinese]
The China News Service article describes the food Xi Jinping ate when he was sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution, and which hungry tourists consumed in the village of Liangjiahe during the long National Day holiday at the start of October. The humble “set meal” commands a sumptuous price:
At the home of Liang Yuming, Xi Jinping’s sponsor for admission to the Chinese Communist Party, tourists jockey for the chance to taste the “presidential set meal.” One table costs RMB 860 [$136], and Liang seats about 20 tables a day. The set meal includes pinwheel bread (youxuan), rice cakes, hemp seed soup (matangfan), lamb stew, stir-fried potatoes, and buckwheat noodles. [Chinese]
Xi Jinping’s food choices make good business. At the end of 2013, Xi dined in at the Beijing Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop, creating a sensation online and long lines of eager diners at the restaurant.
Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.
[Correction: The name of the village in this story was corrected to Liangjiahe.]
