British Prime Minister Keir Starmer concluded his China visit with a symbolic stop at Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden on Friday, January 30, blending cultural diplomacy with personal engagement. The visit came after high-level talks in Beijing this week aimed at strengthening UK-China economic cooperation.
Braving winter rains, Starmer explored the 400-year-old Ming Dynasty garden complex, where he purchased traditional butterfly pastries using digital yuan currency at a historic tea house. This gesture mirrored Queen Elizabeth II's 1986 visit to the same location, creating a visual continuity of Anglo-Chinese cultural exchanges spanning nearly four decades.
The Yuyuan district, now a global tourism hotspot attracting 40 million annual visitors, serves as a living museum of Shanghai's commercial history. Local vendors reported increased international interest in traditional crafts following the Prime Minister's visit, with several business leaders noting potential for expanded UK-China cultural tourism partnerships.
