A Beijing dumpling shop went viral for letting customers book seats with AI agents, and the owner embraces it as the 'most advanced productive force' — though actual usage remains limited.

A Beijing dumpling shop called Jinguyuan recently went viral: customers can have their AI agents order food, get recommendations, or join the queue. The owner, 41-year-old Li Bo, who has a master's in telecom engineering, built the AI skill in April.

Li quotes Deng Xiaoping: 'Science and technology are a primary productive force.' He says, 'You always need to surround yourself with the most advanced productive force.'

1. Two very different attitudes to AI

In the US, small businesses rarely advertise their AI use, afraid of seeming like they're cheating. But in China, everyone is eager to adopt AI, seeing it as the inevitable way forward.

A 2025 survey found that among 30 countries, the Chinese public showed the highest excitement about AI.

2. The owner is no tech novice

Li graduated from Beijing University of Posts and Telecom in 2010, but instead of becoming an engineer, he ran hostels and sold homemade desserts before opening the dumpling shop. AI reignited his tech passion.

He also vibe-coded a queue-tracking website using Alibaba's Qoder, and in July gave customers 10-yuan vouchers for AI subscriptions.

3. More hype than actual use

Li admits the AI skill brings more media attention than real usage, but he's proud to be a model for AI adoption. 'Someone needs to start using it, even when it's not that good. When steam engines came out, people joked they weren't as good as horses, but in the end cars won.'