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Patrick Boehler

President Xi Jinping has been photographed walking along one of Beijing’s most well-known streets, two months after his last surprise appearance turned a steamed bun restaurant into a tourism attraction.
Xi earned praise among internet users for taking the stroll as air pollution had reached hazardous levels on Tuesday. The level of PM2.5 pollutants - microscopic particles considered the most dangerous to people’s health - reached 432 micrograms per cubic metre as of 12pm, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Monitoring Centre.
Watch: Xi Jinping visits a popular Beijing tourist zone

“Breathing together, sharing a common fate,” The Beijing News quipped in a weibo post.

Xi visited two courtyards in the Yuer Hutong and asked residents about their living conditions, the Legal Evening News said in a weibo post. Xi asked the residents if they wanted a photo taken with him, the Beijing News said.
The visit did not appear to be spontaneous. At least two television cameras were seen filming the stroll.
Beijing’s Communist Party Secretary Guo Jinlong and Mayor Wang Anshun were also photographed accompanying the president.
A weibo user who identified himself as “Guoan low-key brother,” a reference to the capital’s soccer club, posted a first series of photos of Xi strolling near Nanluoguxiang on Tuesday morning. Later in the day, photos and videos taken by mobile phones circulated on the usually censored Sina Weibo microblogging platform.
The area, just south of the capital’s drum and bell towers, is a popular area for evening strolls and hosts dozens of restaurants with traditional street snacks as well as smaller shops selling artisanal products.
“Will he make stinky tofu or double-layered milk custard famous this time?” a Sina Weibo user quipped, referring to Xi’s last surprise appearance at a Qingfeng steamed bun shop in December. Tourists have queued up daily at the shop and other restaurants have even turned to offering “presidential menus” mimicking Xi’s lunch of steamed buns.
Chen Heng, the owner of Chen’s Small Intestine Restaurant, complained in a weibo post that several days earlier “various law enforcement agencies began checking [the street] like mad dogs”.
“Just for this one [short] moment,” he wrote.


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Xi Jinping

President Xi Jinping braves smog in surprise visit to popular Beijing tourist zone

Xi Jinping seen at Nanluoguxiang on Tuesday. Photo: Screenshot via Sina Weibo

Nanluoguxiang reportedly seen before Xi's visit. Photo: Screenshot via Sina Weibo

Photos of Xi Jinping eating at a popular Beijing restaurant go viral

Photos of President Xi Jinping eating steamed buns went viral on Saturday. Photo: Weibo screenshot

Xi placed his own order, paid and carried his tray to a table at the restaurant. Photo: Weibo screenshot

Fellow diners were amazed to see Xi eating at such an establishment. Photo: Weibo screenshot

Xi didn't seem to mind the attention he received at the eatery. Photo: Weibo screenshot

Read my greasy lips: no price hikes for President Xi Jinping's favourite buns

A serving of the same food Chinese President Xi Jinping ate when he visited the Qingfeng Steamed Bun restaurant in Beijing on  December 29, 2013.  Photo: Reuters

Staff make steamed buns at the Qingfeng steamed buns restaurant where Chinese President Xi Jinping visited on Saturday, in Beijing, December 29, 2013. Photo: Reuters

Long lines for 'Xi Jinping Combo' at Beijing restaurant after president's visit

A serving of food at a Qingfeng chain restaurant in Beijing similar to what Chinese President Xi Jinping ate when he visited on Saturday, is pictured at the Qingfeng steamed buns restaurant in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Customers line up to buy steamed buns which Chinese President Xi ate on Saturday, at the Qingfeng steamed buns restaurant in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

Steamed buns in the media spotlight after Xi’s Beijing restaurant visit 

Xi Jinping enjoying steamed buns in a Beijing restaurant. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Steamed buns vary according to location. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A chef at a steamed bun stall works hard to satisfy demand. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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China Insider

Update | President Xi Jinping braves smog in surprise visit to popular Beijing tourist zone