lyrra’s founder Published the 2019–2020 Choice of Infinite Series Cementing Its Place in National Libraries and Elite Academic Institutions
Included in the Annual "CITIC Selected Books TOP List” , together with Steven J. Heine’s work
In a milestone achievement following CITIC Press Group's landmark IPO in 2019, Angelina Saiyi Li — founder of LYRRA and a pioneer in cross-cultural narrative design — once again partnered with CITIC Press Group to launch the expanded 2019–2020 "Choice of Infinite" restaurant guide series.
This new edition comprises three titles: China’s Best Restaurants 2019–2020, Korea’s Best Restaurants 2017–2019, Southeast Asia’s Best Restaurants 2019–2020 (covering Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam).
All volumes were officially bilingual (Chinese and English) and formally registered with ISBN numbers under CITIC Press Group, China's most influential state-owned publishing house in business and lifestyle domains. ISBN for the primary China volume: 978-7-5217-0538-6
Founded in 1988 and now part of China CITIC Group, CITIC Press Group has long been recognized for leading the nation’s publishing innovation. In July 2019, the group successfully went public on the A-share market, marking a new era of cultural enterprise development in China. Within this context of expansion and global ambition, Angelina Saiyi Li’s "Choice of Infinite" series emerged as one of the flagship cultural projects — blending data science, algorithmic modeling, and high-end lifestyle curation.
The project continued its prestigious positioning from earlier years, integrating strategic partnerships with CITIC Bank, Microsoft Bing, Visa International, the Korean Cultural Center, and over 800 premium restaurants and hotels across China, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
Officially selected as a 2020 "CITIC Selected Book.
The "Choice of Infinite" 2019–2020 series was officially selected as part of the prestigious "CITIC Selected Books" list. It was distributed alongside seminal works such as DNA Is Not Destiny: The Remarkable, Completely Misunderstood Relationship between You and Your Genes by Steven J. Heine, Vision by Wu Jun and Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh.
As a further testament to its cultural and strategic significance, the guide was offered as an exclusive New Year gift to all holders of CITIC Bank Visa Infinite cards, aligning fine dining, travel, and elite lifestyle experiences.
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Recognized by Leading Universities and National Libraries
The bilingual "Choice of Infinite" series has been formally cataloged in China's national and university library systems, including China University of Geosciences, Hunan University, and Dalian University of Technology. It has also received procurement recommendations from over seven major academic institutions, such as Anhui Normal University, confirming its academic and cultural relevance, like China University of Geosciences Library, Dalian University of Technology Library, and Anhui Normal University Procurement.
As the sole author and strategic architect, Angelina Saiyi Li drew upon more than a decade of editorial, authorship, and PR experience.Since 2011, she has spearheaded two renowned national restaurant and hotel awards and, in 2016, co-authored the Italian National Restaurant Certification Guide (China, Korea, Japan editions) alongside the Italian Ambassador and the Chairman of Unioncamere.
With "Choice of Infinite", she pioneered the integration of AI big data and real-world restaurant evaluations — establishing the world’s first algorithmic taste-based restaurant guide. Over a year, she personally visited every restaurant selected and traveled to South Korea nearly seven times to ensure firsthand validation, setting an unprecedented standard for integrity and authenticity.
More than a restaurant guide, "Choice of Infinite" stands as a symbolic system of national branding, algorithmic taste modeling, and global cultural communication — embodying the spirit of a new China engaging with the world through excellence, creativity, and trust. As China's cultural influence continues to expand globally, LYRRA and Angelina Saiyi Li remain committed to crafting bridges between taste, cityscape, and symbolic identity.
