Menu signed by Mao Zedong brings a quarter million dollars at auction

BOSTON (AP) — An official menu for a state banquet signed by former Chinese leader Mao Zedong has been auctioned for $275,000. Boston-based RR Auction said the menu was for a banquet held in Beijing on October 19, 1956, commemorating the first state visit of Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy of Pakistan to China. The menu was signed in fountain pen by six influential Chinese statesmen, including Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. The banquet featured foods from both nations and included delicacies such as  “Consommé of Swallow Nest and White Agaric,” “Shark’s Fin in Brown Sauce,” and “Roast Peking Duck.”