Trending in Beijing: Elon Musk Indulges in Baozi, Rise in Pork Prices, and "5 Mao Food" Inspections

The fun, the strange, and the what-on-earth-is-this? Trending in Beijing is a wrap-up of top stories in Beijing as told by the trending hashtags, local press, and general power of the internet.

Beijing baozi, meet Elon Musk!

It's official. No one is immune to the cosmic pull of freshly steamed baozi (sorry again, healthy diet). On the second day of Musk's visit to China to attend the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, the CEO of Tesla was brought to taste famed northern baozi, with the related hashtag on Weibo #北京包子铺偶遇马斯克# (Beijing baozi shop encounters Musk) generating more than 26 million readers.

After the experience, Musk simply tweeted "So good!", in reference to his baozi-filled lunch at Xisi Baozi Pu (西四包子铺).  This is not the first time the internet has documented the CEO's love for Chinese food. This (slightly stalky) video is dedicated to footage of Musk enjoying hotpot, tender boiled chicken in soy sauce (白斩鸡), and jianbing, and earlier this year, he also made headlines when he and his then-maybe-girlfriend alt-pop star Grimes were spotted in town enjoying Qimen Shuanrou. 

Netizens leaped to Musk's praise for enjoying the Chinese food of the people, while others simply exalted that all the people bearing the surname "Ma" (Musk‘s Chinese name is 马斯克 mǎ sīkè) are cool. Indeed, by joining this name-family, Musk is in the exalted company of Karl Marx (马克思 mǎkèsī), Maradona (马拉多纳 mǎ lā duō nà), and Jack Ma.

Pork prices skyrocket in China's southern provinces

2019 is proving to indeed be the Year of the Pig, but not how we'd expected. Amidst the ongoing African swine flu epidemic gripping China, the country continues to see a steep rise in wholesale pork prices, especially in the south. The map above breaks down the current average price per 500 grams of pork per province, in RMB. The highest prices are found in Guangdong, clocking in at RMB 30.23, more than 133 percent higher than the lowest in Gansu province at RMB 13. The skyrocketing prices have even led to authorities introducing subsidized pork in some cities, to make the growing costs easier on consumers.

The graphic and corresponding hashtag began trending on Sep 3 but were "harmonized" by Sep 5 for reasons that are unclear considering that new conversations on the same topic have been created since, including one discussing the fact that pork prices are at the six-year highest. The current alternative trending hashtag is #猪肉价格将大体保持平稳# (pork prices will remain stable).

It's not all bad news though: some netizens are apparently eating more vegetables and chicken amid the price increase, and authorities claim that even with the current higher prices, the pork market will gradually recover. 

Beijing addresses "5 mao food" problem

You may be surprised to hear it, but there is still food that exists in Beijing for the price of five mao. In fact, these "five mao products" are now the focus of a new government health and safety campaign to stamp out false labeling and ensure that quality is up to snuff as university and school students return to campus continue their studies. We'd argue that almost anything that costs five mao and comes in vacuum-packed plastic is bad for you, but it's laudable that the government is taking extra steps to ensure the products are legit.

The checks have led many a poor student to fret that their beloved latiao (spicy glutenous sticks), powdered milk tea, and other snack foods are under threat, with local kiosks and stores around schools and universities in Beijing likely to take the brunt of the inspections. Besides the pre-packaged food, the Health Commission will also be inspecting school canteens and drinking water supplies.

Netizens are following the story and praying that their beloved brain food will remain in stock under #北京严查辣条等校园周边“五毛食品”# (Beijing to strictly check spicy sticks and other five mao food sold close to the schools).

READ: Taste Test: China's Coffee-Cola Concoctions That Nobody Asked For

Images: Weibo, Haote.com