China ‘most capable waitress’ begins career at top hotpot chain, becomes overseas unit CEO

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Fran LuFebruary 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

Yang Lijuan, formerly known as "China's most capable waitress," began her career as a waitress at Haidilao, a hotpot chain in Sichuan, China, in 1995. Over the years, she rose through the ranks, eventually becoming CEO of Haidilao in 2022 after the founder stepped down. Yang, who dropped out of secondary school, gained recognition for her dedication and leadership within the company. She is now the CEO of Super Hi, Haidilao's overseas unit, demonstrating her continued success and the company's global expansion. Her story highlights a remarkable career trajectory from waitress to leading the international operations of a major restaurant chain.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Super Hi ×250% Sichuan province ×360% Zhang Yong ×260% China ×370% Yang Lijuan ×590% Haidilao ×7100%

Keywords

yang lijuan 100% haidilao 100% ceo 80% waitress 70% hotpot chain 70% overseas unit 60% career 60% restaurant chain 50% china 50% sichuan 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Positive

Score: 0.70

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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yang lijuan haidilao ceo waitress hotpot chain overseas unit career restaurant chain china sichuan

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