China | Step aside, Ronald

How China is making the burger its own

Duck, pork, tofu—what will it be?

Two men eat at Tastien.
Digging in, Chinese styleImage: VCG

AT FIRST GLANCE, the burger appears like any other. But on closer inspection, something is different. Pressed between the buns is not a patty of minced beef, but morsels of roasted duck. The buns themselves are wrinkled and slightly charred. They are hand-rolled and made using traditional pastry-making techniques, says Tastien, the fast-food chain serving up this meal. If duck isn’t your thing, other options include fish-fragrant shredded pork and mapo tofu. Though not technically a hamburger, Tastien’s ads declare, “The Chinese hamburger is here!”

Explore more

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Step aside, Ronald”

From the January 20th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

An employee works at the grain reserve warehouse of a soybean processing enterprise

Trump, trade and feeding China’s pigs

As a trade war looms, China looks to cut its reliance on America

A little black figure struggles to open a door in the back of Xi Jinping's head.

Helping America’s hawks get inside the head of Xi Jinping

China’s leader is a risk-taker. How far will he go in confronting America?


POlice stand outside a Hong Kong court where 45 pro-democracy activists are to be convicted

Snuffing out the flame of freedom in Hong Kong

Dozens of pro-democracy activists are thrown into jail for up to a decade 


China’s greatest dumpling run

A big gathering of young cyclists is ended by officials

A spate of horrific car-rammings shakes China

They are known as “revenge on society” attacks

Mega-polluter China believes it is a climate saviour 

It accounts for almost 40% of global investment in clean energy



Discover more

A girl in China doing homework

Podcast Drum Tower

Inside China’s disciplinary centres for “deviant” youth

Our weekly podcast on China. This week: what happens when young Chinese challenge the social conservatism of their parents?

An employee works at the grain reserve warehouse of a soybean processing enterprise

Trump, trade and feeding China’s pigs

As a trade war looms, China looks to cut its reliance on America


A little black figure struggles to open a door in the back of Xi Jinping's head.

Helping America’s hawks get inside the head of Xi Jinping

China’s leader is a risk-taker. How far will he go in confronting America?


From Nixon to China, to Trump to Tehran

Iran is weak. For America’s next president that creates an opportunity

Is China really a nation of slackers?

A new survey raises the question

The World Ahead Business in 2025

To see the cars of the future, look at China’s electric vehicles

With their surprising and innovative features, they are streets ahead