This Day, That Year: July 23

Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

In July 1994, McDonald's, the fast-food chain from the United States, opened its first restaurant in Shanghai. This was its 22nd outlet in the Chinese mainland, as seen in the item from China Daily.

At the time, people considered such food an exotic experience in the wake of the reform and opening-up policy since 1978.

Following Kentucky Fried Chicken's first Chinese store in 1987 and similar launches from McDonald's and Pizza Hut in the early 1990s, Western fast-food and restaurant chains have been significantly growing their presence in Chinese cities in the past few decades, on the back of the country's rapid development.

Competition remains fierce in the industry, with more menus and new eating experiences being offered to attract customers.

McDonald's offerings in China include meals targeting local palates.

In 2015, the chain opened four "do-it-yourself" burger concept stores in Shanghai and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, as part of global efforts to lure consumers to its outlets.

By the end of 2017, McDonald's China had more than 2,600 restaurants in the Chinese mainland, servicing more than 1.3 billion orders.

Although it has expanded rapidly, McDonald's has seen its market share in China decline from 7 percent in 2013 to 5.8 percent in 2017, according to Euromonitor International's data about the consumer food service sector.

In 2017, Chinese conglomerate CITIC Group acquired a majority stake in the company's restaurants in the mainland and Hong Kong. The new partnership plans to further accelerate expansion by opening 2,000 new restaurants in the coming four years, and plans to have 4,500 outlets in the country by 2022.