CBN Friday Special丨Sizzling Zibo: How an old industrial city becomes China’s “hottest” spot?

A freshly baked crispy wrap, rich dipping sauce, and a signature small stove for you to finish cooking the sizzling meat.

These are the “holy trinity” enough to get an old industrial city in eastern China’s Shandong province to rise to unexpected national fame, becoming the new “capital of barbecue”.

The city of Zibo, mostly known for its manufacturing industries, has emerged as one of the country’s most popular tourist spots.

Favored by swarms of internet influencers, Zibo has gone viral on Chinese social media platforms. The topic "Zibo barbecue" on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, was played 4.96 billion times by Monday since the city stormed the Internet for over a month.

Its barbecue is now so popular that thousands of people are making a culinary trip to Zibo — the city’s train station received a record 83,635 inbound and outbound passengers on Friday. In March, the small city with a population of 4.7 million saw 4.8 million tourists flown in.

The hype continued. Zibo topped the train ticket search chart on the 14 and 15 this month, Meituan data showed, with Beijing to Zibo train tickets for May 1 sold out in a minute.

What makes Zibo barbecue so special is that it does offer a distinctive dining experience. The skewers are 70-80 percent cooked before they are brought to the table, where diners can finish cooking them on their own stoves, offering an immersive dining experience. Diners are served flatbreads, scallions and other dressings at the table so they are able to assemble their own barbecue parcels, in much the same way Peking duck is eaten.

The barbecue suddenly went viral after a group of college students shot videos of themselves enjoying a meal and posted them on social media in late February. Since then, many people, mostly young, have flocked to the city from all over the country to try the dish.

Zibo is certainly not the only city in China that offers barbecue, or even the most famous one, and such an overnight sensation often wears out quickly. But the local government made sure that its newly found popularity isn’t going to be short-lived. So what did Zibo do to keep the heat on?

Zibo's seemingly sudden fame was actually steps in the making.

Tracking down the timeline, the rush originated from the crowd-gathering effect of cultural and tourism activities including a music festival, then celebrities tasted the barbecue and put their experiences online attracting young people and eventually leading to a wave of students from surrounding cities visiting Zibo.

On top of the star effect, Zibo plays to its advantage of low living costs. Many college students in Shandong have made concrete plans to enjoy Zibo barbecue at the least cost, and traveling back and forth by train for only 200 yuan ($29.1). So what better way to lure adventurous, hungry college students with a tight budget other than "tasty barbecue that makes you full for only 50 yuan!"

In an effort to make Zibo's barbecue the city's new calling card, the local government introduced a host of measures in supporting the barbecue sector. This includes distributing 250,000 yuan in barbecue coupons and designing barbecue-themed one-day and two-day tour routes for tourists.

Free barbecue maps and 21 shuttle buses are also being offered, so that tourists can literally "get on the bus to rest, get off to eat”. And a barbecue festival was scheduled during the upcoming Labor Day holiday.

This move follows another on March 31 under which the Jinan bureau of China Railway added a weekend special round-trip "barbecue tour" bullet train between Jinan, the capital city of Shandong, and Zibo. And tourism officials are even giving away souvenirs on the train to visitors.

Apart from going for the gourmet, tourists also went to scenic spots and historical sites in the city during their stay, Meituan data showed. The latest promotion gives visitors free admission to 10 scenic spots in the city with their train ticket as long as their final destination is Zibo, according to the city's culture and tourism bureau.

Local barbecue joints were quick to cash in on the Internet fame. Several restaurants said they were selling more than 10,000 skewers of meat, chicken wings or vegetables a day during the past week, especially on the weekend. “Even the air smells of cumin.”

On several streets, lines can be seen outside barbecue restaurants, which stretch for more than 100 meters on the weekend. Some tourists were told to wait for 160 tables in a queue at a Zibo barbecue restaurant and some said they had to try five different restaurants to find a place less busy.

In order to secure a dinner reservation at a reasonable hour, customers had to start queuing up at 4pm. By 8pm everyday, many establishments were out of meat and vegetables.

But Zibo did not fall into the trap of easy fame that dies fast where merchants cheat customers on price and quality for a maximum profit in the shortest time. A blogger with close to 18 million fans on Douyin took an electronic scale to 10 barbecue stalls in Zibo to test if he will be offered less than labeled. To his surprise, not a single one was caught short of weight and some stall owners even offered him specialties free of charge. Local people's sincerity and hospitality touched even more people online and again lifted the city's popularity.

Another key factor underpinning the success, is that local authorities reacted swiftly to market regulations.

A netizen complained on April 15 that she had been subjected to coerced consumption at a barbecue restaurant. In response, the local market regulatory agency promptly launched an investigation and, on April 16, issued a warning letter to standardize the pricing behavior of operators, reminding all merchants to clearly mark their prices and comply with the law.

It appears that all these efforts have paid off.

According to Meituan’s data, the local accommodation bookings in Zibo increased by 800 percent compared with 2019 for the upcoming May Day holidays, and keyword searches for "Zibo barbecue" on one platform increased by 770 percent year-on-year.

Train ticket orders for the city on April 14 doubled the peak levels of this year's Spring Festival travel rush.

More than 120,000 tourists are expected to visit the city of just 4.7 million during the May Day holiday, according to the train booking website.

The more popularity Zibo enjoys today, the more concerned people grow when the fad dies down: what can Zibo offer besides barbecue? Can Zibo keep young people, especially college students who came to visit, to actually consider to stay and work?

Despite the century-old history of modern industry, Zibo is facing the problem of industrial and urban transformation and upgrading. And the recent tourist heat may offer a rare opportunity for the old industrial city to do a make-over.

As the ancestral home of the Shandong merchants and having origins in the Silk Road, Zibo will work to develop its profound historical and cultural resources into unique cultural brands. As the birthplace of Qi culture, the former capital of Qi and the eastern porcelain capital, Zibo is a city with an 18,000 plus-year history and has 13 national key cultural relics protection units.

At the same time, technological upgrading, especially in electronic information, could also be the answer. Data show that in 2022, the number of high-tech enterprises in Zibo reached 1,374, and the city added 40 new "little giant" enterprises last year, many are in the electronic information industry.

And local authority has begun to make longer-term plans to help young talent settle in the city. A news release by the local government soliciting students from Tsinghua and Peking universities to visit Zibo for free dumbfounded many. Students from the two leading universities only need to pay their transportation fees, and the local government will pay for everything else.

Barbecue and tourism have limited influence on stimulating the economy. But this is an opportunity to get more people know Zibo’s enthusiasm and business environment, which will attract more investment and create more jobs. This is what really matters.

煙花三月，山東小城淄博，硬是憑借燒烤殺出旅遊重圍，成為互聯網的“頂流”。

從3月初大學生“特種兵”們攻占淄博燒烤，到如今火爆全網。一個多月以來，有關淄博的熱搜，一波接一波霸屏，完全沒有停歇的意思。各地遊客慕名而來，沒有人能逃過社交媒體對“淄博”的推送。

這座原本不甚知名的小城市，在巨量關注洶湧而至的時候，是如何迅速應對，将短時流量轉化為實體收入的？又是如何打破了互聯網傳播的“7天遺忘”定律，甚至讓網友在多維度的“扒皮”之後，最終直呼“感動”、“不愧是‘好客山東’”的？

“火爐小餅加蘸料、燒烤靈魂三件套”，燒烤隻是掀開了這座城市的一角，另類爆款背後，是當地政府的迅速響應和淄博人的全民努力。

連夜洗地、連夜換牌子、連夜修路，開通高鐵燒烤專列、公交專線、推出大學生住宿優惠、高鐵票免費換景區門票、加強市場監管、文旅局局長們“突襲”發禮物……淄博以“教科書式回應”穩穩接住了這波流量，網友紛紛喊話自己家鄉來“抄作業”。

接待八方來賓的淄博人，骨子裡的熱情、善良、質樸和厚道，也讓這波熱度，更添了一絲不同的人文味道。

淄博市文旅局更是直言，“淄博，真的是唯恐自己有一點招待不周的地方”。

淄博到底有多火？

國鐵濟南局客運部負責人近期對媒體介紹，淄博燒烤紅遍網絡後，周末時間乘坐高鐵到淄博吃燒烤的鐵路客流旺盛。為此，在3月31日至4月2日、4月7日至9日、4月14日至16日以及4月21日至23日，國鐵濟南局共安排加開濟南西至淄博間周末往返“燒烤遊”專線列車24列。進入3月份以來，淄博火車站日均到達客流1.8萬人次，發送旅客1.7萬人次。4月9日發送旅客超過3.1萬人次，到達客流約2.6萬人次，創近3年新高。

攜程數據顯示，最近一個月，目的地為淄博市的火車票訂單量，環比前一個月增長37%，同比2022年同期增長近15倍。淄博火車票訂單量的增長，也說明前往淄博的中長途遊客有顯著增長，目的地吸引力的地域輻射範圍擴大。

美團數據顯示，4月14日、15日兩天，“淄博”火車票搜索增幅位居全國第一，環比增長988%。4月15日中午12時30分，“北京南-淄博”火車票開售不到1分鐘就被秒空。北京、上海、鄭州、石家莊等地遊客“種草”淄博的積極性最高，4月28日前往淄博的火車票已全部售罄。

與此同時，燒烤也帶動了淄博甚至山東景點門票等生活服務業的發展。美團、大衆點評數據顯示，“五一”期間淄博旅遊訂單（含酒店、景點門票）同比增長超2000%。北京網友趙小姐提前準備好拔草攻略，第一天下高鐵，直奔燒烤店；第二天遊覽周村古商城；第三天開啟山東省内巡遊。

據淄博市文旅局介紹，僅在今年3月份，淄博便接待了480多萬人次，同比增長了134%，旅遊收入增長了60%。

餐飲是此次淄博燒烤的主角，諸多燒烤店迅速火爆。一家街邊小店的店主表示，中午時分，該店的肉品和蔬菜都已售罄。“我們無法接單了，現在沒有菜品了。如果要吃的話，晚上來吃晚飯，我們下午補貨，客人下午4點半左右來排隊晚餐。”店主透露，目前該店每天起碼賣出1萬串燒烤。

而規模更大一些的燒烤店，同樣面臨“客源遠超接待能力”的問題。

下午4點半，一家比較知名的燒烤店，店裡近200多張餐桌都坐滿了人。燒烤店門口原本有一片相對寬敞的戶外場地，如今已經彎彎繞繞排起了幾百人的長隊，還有人架起了無人機，拍下這人山人海的熱鬧景象。商家說，這還隻是個工作日，周末人數更是會翻好幾番，肉不夠賣、菜也不夠賣，從早到晚所有員工都忙不停。

這一切，緣起于疫情之後，活力四射的大學生們趁周末打卡周邊城市，淄博燒烤就是其中一站。

菜單顯示，羊肉2.5元一串、雪花牛肉2元一串、五花肉1.5元一串、魚豆腐1元一串、香菇、甘藍、蘑菇等蔬菜統統1元。憑借親民的價格、豐盛的口味，淄博燒烤逐漸成為大學生打卡必備，“一車一車的大學生周末奔赴淄博，空氣裡都是孜然味”。

那麼問題來了：全國遍地都有的燒烤，為什麼來到淄博就“火出圈”了呢？

首先，淄博燒烤确有其出位之處。

淄博是為數不多的、保留了獨立小火爐燒烤的城市。上串之前，每桌先架起一個小火爐，裡面放着燒得通紅的木炭，七八分熟的串端上來，食客自己動手烤，口感自己掌握。

等烤到滿意，拿兩串滋滋冒油的肉串，先裹上蘸料，然後攤在小餅上，把簽子抽掉，再放一段山東特産嫩蔥，即刻有了“煎餅卷一切、卷盡世間煩惱事”的氛圍感。

“大口感受着小餅的麥香，蘸料裡花生芝麻和剛烤好的肉混合在一起，小餅讓略微鹹的肉變得适口，蘸料又提供了足夠的香味提成，而大蔥又很好地抵消了肉串的油膩，君臣互佐，相輔相成。”“淄博文旅”在推文裡這樣形容淄博小爐燒烤的美妙之處。

時下最洋氣的圍爐夜話，在淄博燒烤的火爐前，竟隻是尋常。坐在餐桌旁邊各自刷手機？這種尴尬不存在的。網友們說，淄博燒烤是更動人的是煙火氣，是吹着小風、吃着燒烤、和家人朋友暢談暢飲的歡樂時光。

更重要的原因，是當地給出了一份迎接流量的“滿分答卷”。

淄博燒烤火起來以後，“美食之旅”的另一個目的地——八大局便民市場也成了新晉網紅小吃街。而八大局以前隻是一個菜市場，主流客源是追求實惠的老年人。發現年輕人也來到八大局市場排隊買特産零食之後，當地政府連夜洗地、連夜換上了新牌子。

為了方便各地遊客撸串，淄博對途經燒烤店的常規線路進行了重新摸排，讓主城區常規公交線路覆蓋多數燒烤店，還專門制定“燒烤地圖”，額外增開了8條“淄博燒烤”接駁專線，旅客從火車站可搭乘公交專線直達燒烤門店。

3月10日，淄博市政府宣布舉辦首屆淄博燒烤名店“金爐獎”推薦活動，針對參與活動的燒烤店，淄博市商務局定向發放燒烤消費券25萬元；還計劃成立燒烤協會，進一步規範燒烤店及産業鍊健康發展。

淄博市政府決定在“五一”前後舉辦燒烤節，并且把3月至11月定為“淄博燒烤季”，打通“吃住行遊購娛”各要素環節，推出一批“淄博燒烤+”特色文旅主題産品。

3月31日，還開通了高鐵燒烤專列，每周五至周日加開濟南西至淄博間G9321次、淄博至濟南西間G9322次動車組列車。外地網友直呼“驚呆了”。4月8日的“燒烤專列”上，淄博市文化和旅遊局局長宋愛香更是帶領淄博10個區縣、功能區的文旅局長，以及紅葉柿岩、馬踏湖、周村古商城等淄博33家熱門景區“代言人”，變身“淄博文旅推薦官”，為乘客送上各類文創産品和小禮物，“人還沒到淄博，已經被文旅局長的淄博特産喂飽了。”

同時，淄博還以燒烤為契機，通過實施景區門票減免優惠政策留住更多旅客。

4月10日，淄博又放新招式，宣布9個景區開放“高鐵票免費換門票”活動。紅葉柿岩、馬踏湖景區、博山陶瓷琉璃藝術中心、齊魯歡樂世界等景區都支持電子或紙質版高鐵票兌換門票。

淄博市高新區行政審批服務局特設立燒烤行業“一件事”一次辦專區，推行專窗辦理“綠色通道”，提供燒烤類準入VIP式服務。據報道，截至4月16日，淄博4月已新增燒烤相關企業170餘家；數據顯示，目前淄博市擁有燒烤相關企業超3千家，2022年新增注冊企業470餘家，增速達20.6%。

除了快速反應，淄博燒烤的熱度更在于這座城市的久久為功。

2022年，淄博市GDP為4402.6億元、位列山東省内第七。在2018、2019年和2022年，當地常住人口還出現了負增長。在人口構成方面，2021年發布的《山東省第七次全國人口普查公報》顯示，當地60歲以上人口達到23.24%。為謀發展，淄博摸索出了吸引年輕群體的“流量打法”。

在2020年，淄博舉行的音樂節等活動中，當地把青島啤酒和淄博燒烤相互融合；2021年，在美食博主關于淄博燒烤的探店視頻播放量破500萬之後，淄博官方通過紀錄片等給了燒烤更多的曝光度。

值得一提的是，在露天燒烤因污染和擾民被多地出台相關規定禁止時，淄博并沒有“一刀切”。早在幾年前，淄博當地便引導各區規劃建設、讓露天燒烤集中化經營，并引導商戶使用無煙燒烤爐具。

“淄博燒烤”火爆之後，商家仍經受住了知名打假博主的考驗，當地政府還發布了規範經營者價格行為的提醒告誡書，堅決禁止坑遊客行為。監管部門加強了市場監管力度，在全市開展燒烤經營行業、酒店住宿行業等相關領域價格監督檢查，從社會治安、食品安全、消防安全等方面開展守護淄博燒烤的護航行動。

另外，每周五至周日，在各火車站安排志願者，為旅客提供交通、住宿、燒烤、旅遊線路等咨詢推介服務。

很多遊客來淄博不僅吃燒烤，還會逛景區，比如陶瓷琉璃館，已經成了新晉的潮流打卡地，參觀人數最近創了曆史新高。

事實上，淄博曆史悠久，文化燦爛。在這片土地上，孕育了齊桓公、管仲、晏嬰等賢主名相，産生了《管子》《孫子兵法》《齊民要術》等鴻篇巨著。著名的“稷下學宮”演繹了“百家争鳴”的千古美談。齊文化“變革、開放、創新、務實、包容”的精神内核和獨特品質，已厚植于淄博人民的血脈和靈魂。

淄博文化遺存浩繁，獨具地域特色。這裡有陳莊—唐口遺址、田齊王陵等國家級曆史文化遺存，有始建于春秋時期、完成于戰國時期的齊長城，有世界足球起源的蹴鞠，架起了溝通世界的橋梁。

旅遊産業之外，淄博官方其實有一個大主意——希望留住青年人才。

淄博站和淄博北站，都擺上了人才招引計劃，發放就業補貼、扶持自主創業、設立“來淄體驗券”等等舉措，讓年輕人們一下高鐵就能在顯眼的地方看到。

此外，淄博全市38處青年驿站為符合條件的來淄求職、就業的青年學生，提供每年3次、每次2晚的免費入住，來淄實習、遊玩、訪友的青年學生可享受每年4次、每次5天的半價入住。

據了解，淄博青年驿站今年以來的申請人數，同比增長了2300%。

淄博市人社局更是在官微孜孜不倦地推介個人創業擔保貸款、大學生就業體驗日等就業政策。淄博官方表态，希望更多年輕人了解淄博、留在淄博。

這座古老的工業城市，正虔誠期待着吸引更多年輕人才，為了城市日後長遠的活力，添磚加瓦。與不少老工業城市人口外流相比，目前淄博處于人口淨流入狀态。數據顯示，2022年末全市常住人口470.59萬人，戶籍總人口430.78萬人，也就是說，淄博人口淨流入規模達到了40萬左右。

淄博作為一個以重化工業為主導的老工業城市，近年來經濟發展放緩，也面臨着轉型升級的陣痛，2008年，淄博GDP位列全國第32位，去年已下降至全國60多名。但與不少老工業城市相比，淄博的轉型升級還是比較亮眼。

數據顯示，2022年淄博全市高新技術企業數量達到1374家，比上年新增347家，科技型中小企業達1822家。新增國家專精特新“小巨人”企業40家，省級以上制造業單項冠軍企業（産品）21家，尤其是在電子信息産業方面，近年來淄博湧現出了新恒彙、信通電子、智洋創新、淄博美林、兆物網絡、卓創信息、亞華電子等深耕電子信息産業的企業。

千載難逢的機遇很難複刻，但淄博帶來的啟發卻值得深入研究。

春天來了，旅遊正變得如火如荼，其他城市能否也像淄博一樣，在機會來臨時，順勢躍起、牢牢握住？

Executive Editor: Sonia YU

Editor: LI Yanxia

Host: Stephanie LI

Writer: Stephanie LI

Sound Editor: Stephanie LI

Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Yuanni

Produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News.

Presented by SFC

編委: 于曉娜

策劃、編輯：李豔霞

播音：李瑩亮

撰稿：李瑩亮

音頻制作：李瑩亮

設計：鄭文靜、廖苑妮

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