Mr. Chiang's Out-of-Province Restaurant is the latest, and most controversial restaurant to open off of Beijing's Chang'an Avenue. This is because the establishment's namesake is none other than former leader of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek.
The restaurant is festooned with Taiwanese flags (which Beijing forbids at all international events) and portraits of the Generalissimo.
The restaurant's Taiwanese owners say they originally wanted to call the restaurant Taiwan Kitchen but authorities would not let them include the place name in their restaurant. Celebrating Chairman Mao's arch nemesis, however, appears to be no problem.
One of the founding partners is surnamed Chiang himself, and although he has no relation to the former president he does claim to have been an "imperial chef" especially preparing the Taiwanese delicacy of stewed meat rice for Chiang Kai-shek. After trying too many terrible imitations of the dish in the PRC capital, he says he was compelled to start a restaurant serving the real deal.
Situated close to Tiananmen Square, the eatery's exterior with a picture of the eponymous Mr. Chiang bring to memory a time when his portrait also hung proudly just down the street, over the gate to the Forbidden City where Mao's portrait now adorns.
Waisheng, or out-of-province, is the Taiwanese word that refers to those who came to the island from Chinese mainland with the Nationalists after their 1949 defeat to the Communists.
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