Cheap means illiterate vs expensive means PhD... Controversy in China over 'education reflected' menu

Controversy Over Photo of Chinese Restaurant Menu on SNS
5 Yuan Dish Price Labeled as 'Illiterate'
"Offensive" vs "Just Marketing"

A Chinese restaurant sparked controversy by expressing menu prices in terms of educational attainment. According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP), a unique type of menu recently appeared at a Cantonese cuisine specialty restaurant in southern China. While food photos and menu names usually have prices listed below, this place displayed prices not in numbers but in Chinese characters.

Menu used in a Chinese restaurant. Baidu

Photos posted on Chinese social networking services (SNS) show that the cheapest dish priced at 5 yuan (about 993 won) is labeled as 'Illiterate,' the 10 yuan dish as 'Kindergarten,' the 13 yuan dish as 'Elementary School,' the 16 yuan dish as 'Middle School,' the 18 yuan dish as 'High School,' and the 20 yuan dish as 'University.'

Additionally, the 28 yuan dish is labeled 'Master's,' the 29 yuan dish 'Doctorate,' and the 32 yuan dish (about 6,356 won) as 'Scholar.' 'Scholar' appears to refer to someone attending the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Academy of Engineering, used to denote a level higher than a doctorate. For example, a plate of shrimp dim sum is classified as the doctorate level and sold for 29 yuan.

The restaurant has been using this pricing system for several years, but the issue arose when an employee publicized a photo of the menu to the media. Chinese market authorities reportedly recognized the menu as a marketing tool and did not consider it problematic.

This sparked debates among Chinese netizens. Most netizens found the menu names up to higher education levels amusing but felt uncomfortable with labeling the cheapest price as 'Illiterate.' They criticized the system, saying, "This is educational discrimination. It offends people with lower educational backgrounds," and "Does this imply that higher degrees mean higher income?" However, some responded, "It's just a unique business idea. There's no need to overreact."