Zibo barbecue: Millions bring sudden fame to industrial Chinese city

Zibo, a sleepy industrial city of 4.7 million in eastern China, is not typically known as a tourist hot spot. Some online influencers are now calling Zibo "China's outdoor barbecue capital". There are more than 1,270 barbecue joints in the city, according to the president of Zibo's Barbecue Association. "Zibo barbecue" has been a trending topic on Chinese social media platforms like Xiaohongshu and Weibo since early March. On 29 April, Zibo Railway Station saw a record 87,000 train trips to and from the station, according to Chinese news website Caixin. Local authorities in Zibo have been quick to capitalise on the sudden influx of visitors. "The Zibo barbecue 'fire' has gone out of hand. We have been doing our best to accommodate the recent influx of tourists, but it has caused trouble and inconvenience to everyone," they wrote.