Zibo sets hot pace with economic transformation

Barbecue trade brings influx of visitors, triggers internet sensation

On a working day late last month, a yard that is home to more than 10 barbecue restaurants in Zibo, Shandong province, was packed with diners at about 5 pm.

Lines formed as people waited for tables at the businesses in the city's Linzi district. Some diners even made their way inside the restaurants to obtain skewers, instead of waiting for waiters to pass them the implements, as the staff members were so busy.

A 51-year-old resident, who wished to be named only as Yu, said: "In the past two months, we have seldom come to the yard for barbecue food because there are so many people. We had to wait in line unless we arrived extremely early. Many diners come from outside Zibo, judging from the license plate numbers of vehicles parked near the yard."

Yu added that she had never seen such crowds in the area before.

Zibo, an old industrial city, barely featured on most people's list of must-visit places in the past, until its barbecue scene went viral, attracting a huge influx of visitors during the past three months. These arrivals, who are mainly young people, have made the city well-known nationwide.

The once-thriving industrial hub with a population of 4.5 million is capitalizing on the fame of its sizzling culinary fare to fuel economic growth amid efforts to upgrade an old economic structure dominated by large industrial projects.

In the first quarter of this year, Zibo achieved GDP of 105.77 billion yuan ($15.07 billion), a rise of 4.7 percent year-on-year, the city's bureau of statistics reported.

The bureau said the local consumer market showed a strong recovery in the first quarter, with retail sales of consumer goods reaching 31.36 billion yuan, a year-on-year rise of 8.3 percent.

Since March, an average of 135,800 customers a day have headed to the 1,288 barbecue businesses in the city, the Zibo Bureau of Commerce reported at the end of last month.

These customers generated a 35 percent year-on-year rise in revenue for major barbecue restaurants in Zhangdian district, the city's main urban area, while the districts of Zhoucun and Linzi reported rises of more than 20 percent compared with last year.

During the five-day May Day holiday, Badaju market, a wet market in Zibo, was China's most-visited destination, ahead of well-known tourist sites such as the Great Wall, data from Baidu Maps show.

Zibo railway station catered to 240,000 passengers during the holiday — growth of 55 percent compared with the same period in 2019.

The outstanding performance of barbecue restaurants attracted officials from many cities, especially those with heavy industrial projects, to Zibo in search of new development paths. The officials conducted field studies on how Zibo's barbecue industry went viral on the internet.

Student posts

Zibo has long sought to publicize its unique take on roasted skewers of meat, vegetables, seafood and other foodstuffs in the hope of attracting business.

But it was only in March, when college students tried the barbecue food, took videos of themselves enjoying it, and posted the footage on social media that it went viral.

Last year, more than 12,000 college students from other cities were quarantined in Zibo during the COVID-19 pandemic. After they completed their quarantine, the local authorities treated them to barbecue food and invited them to return for a visit in spring, when the flowers are in bloom. Some students accepted the invitation, revisiting Zibo to sample its barbecued delights.

They unwittingly triggered a trend that spurred the hashtag "College students visit Zibo to try barbecue in groups", which went viral on social media platforms.

Since then, young people from across the country have flocked to Zibo to try its barbecued food.

During weekends last month, Yang Benxin, who has run a barbecue restaurant in the city for nearly three decades, used a loudspeaker to tell people waiting in line for a table to choose another restaurant because the meat at his business had sold out.

Yang's restaurant has 200 tables, which can accommodate about 1,000 diners. But almost every weekend for the past month, the number of people visiting the eatery surpassed its capacity, forcing him to tell those waiting to try elsewhere.

Zhu Wenbin, the owner of another local restaurant, has raised the number of tables at the business from 60 to 200 to cater to the influx of diners.

In Zibo, the food on barbecue skewers is 70-80 percent precooked before it is brought to the table, where diners complete the cooking process on small stoves fueled by hot coals. In addition, pancakes, scallions and dressings are on the tables, so diners can assemble their own barbecue-filled packages, similar to the way in which Peking duck is eaten.

Zhang Hanzhe, 27, who visited Zibo with friends from Jinan, capital of Shandong, during the May Day holiday to try the city's barbecued food, said, "We prepared the food according to our own tastes, and it's also affordable."

The authorities in Zibo have been quick to capitalize on the sudden influx of visitors. The market supervision and public security authorities acted to ensure food safety and reasonable pricing in the barbecue sector, while the city's public transportation company launched bus routes especially for people visiting barbecue restaurants.

The city issued a notice ahead of the May Day holiday, warning that hotels in Zibo that raised their room rates by more than 50 percent during the holiday would be punished.

Fu Qiang, who runs a restaurant in the city, said, "Police officers have been patrolling the streets, and officials from the market supervision bureau monitored food quality to avoid health risks.

"Local people are friendly to visitors, and it seems that everyone in the city is working together to give them an enjoyable experience in Zibo."

Qu Chuang, a professor at Shandong University's School of Economics, doubted whether the barbecue craze in Zibo would last long, but said the city's biggest gain is that it is now known by more people.

Inspection tour

On May 6, a meeting of the standing committee of the Zibo municipal Party committee decided that the industrial sector, particularly manufacturing, is still key to Zibo's high-quality development, and that the city must always prioritize development of the industrial sector.

During an inspection tour of Linzi on May 9, Ma Xiaolei, Party secretary of Zibo, urged local authorities to seize the opportunities emerging from the city's reputation and influence, which have been enhanced recently by the barbecue trend. They should also continue to attract people and resources to woo high-end talent and lure innovation-oriented and manufacturing companies to the city, Ma said.

Ding Changfa, an associate professor in the Department of Economics at Xiamen University's School of Economics, was quoted by Time Weekly as saying, "In the long run, old industrial cities such as Zibo cannot rely solely on the barbecue, catering and cultural tourism sectors, because they don't have distinctive scenic spots. Such cities will continue to rely on innovation in the future."

Industrial projects have been developed in Zibo for more than 100 years since iron ore and coal were discovered in the city's Boshan district in the early 20th century.

The city was once an industrial hub for the chemical industry, with coal, iron, bauxite, silk, ceramics, glass, electricity and machinery the pillars of its economy.

About a decade ago, Zibo faced a series of problems, including resource depletion and environmental pollution, which forced the authorities to transform the local industrial structure.

Since 2018, the city has shut down heavy industrial projects, while introducing sustainable and high-tech ventures. During this time, the local authorities have closed steel production businesses, and the production capacity for producing ceramics, cement and coal has been significantly reduced. Instead, high-tech and innovation enterprises have been introduced.

To date, Zibo has attracted 65 national-level enterprises specializing in innovation and developing competitive products. A total of 20 enterprises in the city are recognized as single-product champions in manufacturing.

Qu said a digital economy, smart manufacturing and medical industries have been developed in Zibo in recent years, which will provide more jobs for young people.

The Zibo government said that in the past three years it has strived to create a working and living environment targeted especially at young people.

"Young people represent a major force driving this economic transformation," Qu said, adding that the city's performance during the craze for barbecue food will earn it a reputation among such an audience.

"When people come to Zibo for barbecue, they are impressed by the sincere attitude and considerate services provided by the local government and residents," Qu said.

He added that the attractive business environment and coordination among local authorities set an example for other industrial cities.

Field studies

Many other Chinese cities with heavy industry, such as Jinzhou, Liaoning province, also have barbecue areas. The trend in Zibo has encouraged the authorities in these cities to conduct field studies on ways in which barbecue food can be used to invigorate their economies.

A team of officials from Jinzhou, including those from the city's housing and construction, commerce, and market supervision and regulation bureaus, studied the barbecue business in Zibo from April 16-18.

Barbecue businesses emerged in Jinzhou in the 1980s, and flourished in the 1990s. In 2005, a barbecue association was founded in the city to promote development of this trade.

The local government worked to integrate the barbecue business with tourism development, but barbecued food in Jinzhou, which was promoted by the city's tourism sector, never became the viral sensation that it did in Zibo.

Li Zhi, director of the Jinzhou Barbecue Association, was quoted as saying by local media, "The point of the Zibo barbecue trend is the local people's sincere, hospitable, friendly and helpful attitude toward young people."

He added that the huge influx of visitors poses a challenge to the city. However, each sector in Zibo, from transportation and public security, to catering and accommodations, has coordinated well, enabling it to withstand such pressure.

However, analysts said the barbecue business alone is not sufficient to realize high-quality development in old industrial cities.

Zhou Mingqi, chief analyst at Jingjian Thinktank, a tourism marketing consulting company, was quoted by Caijing magazine as saying, "Barbecue can drive catering, hotels and tourism, but it cannot create bigger economic profits.

"It is impossible for old industrial cities to achieve quick success and instant benefits if they want to succeed in transformation. They still need to set up universities and train talent to drive urban innovation and development."

Ding, from Xiamen University, said such a transformation has been achieved in the city of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, United States.

Once known as an industrial hub focused on steel production, Pittsburgh has successfully transitioned into a diversified economy driven by technology, education, healthcare and research.

In Zibo, with the barbecue trend showcasing local hospitality, it will be easier for the city to attract more talent.

Local media reports said officials in Zibo, including Ma, the Party secretary, have visited universities in the past two months to woo graduates.

"Once you have talent, you obtain the power of innovation, which will unleash new development momentum," Ding said.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn