| The figures in front of Goubuli 狗不理 (gǒu bù lǐ) illustrate a story. Yuan Shikai 袁世凯 (Yuán Shìkǎi) who was highly placed in the Chinese military during the late Qing Dynasty, visited Tianjin and tried the baozi 包子 (bāozi). He brought back take-out to the Dowager Empress Cixi 慈禧 (Cí Xǐ) as a gift. She instantly declared them to be delicious and Goubuli became even more famous.
The twist on the story involves the characters involved. The Dowager Empress Cixi ruled China as regent for her sons and made sure they never achieved power. She was, for all purposes, the Empress. She died in 1908, so never saw that her baozi came from the man who almost succeeded in establishing a new dynasty to replace hers.
In the Revolution of 1911 that overthrew the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Shikai 袁世凯, who had never participated in the democracy movement of Sun Yat-sen, used his military might and political guile to take advantage of the turmoil. Yuan Shikai became the first President of the Republic of China, and later tried for the title of Emperor. This was not a great beginning for a republic. Moral of the story: Watch out for generals bearing baozi.
The baozi that Cixi is holding is loose, so you can play with it as my friend illustrates.
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