Zibo city in Shandong province has unexpectedly gone viral on Chinese social media since late February for its local barbecue specialty, and continues to trend as the local government takes the opportunity to spur tourism and spending.
自2月下旬以来,山东省淄博市因当地的特产烧烤意外在社交媒体上走红,随着当地政府借机刺激旅游和消费,淄博持续走红。
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.
淄博市文旅局表示,在最新的宣传活动中,只要游客的最终目的地是淄博,就可以凭火车票免费进入淄博的10个景区。
This move follows another on March 31 under which the Jinan bureau of China Railway added a weekend special round-trip "barbecue tour" train between Jinan, the capital city of Shandong and Zibo.
此举是继3月31日中国铁路济南局集团有限公司加开周末往返济南和淄博的“烧烤专列”后的又一举措。
Passengers who board the train are greeted by a banner reading "Welcome to the Special BBQ Train "at the entrance of the carriage.
登上该专列的乘客会在车厢入口处看到“欢迎乘坐烧烤专列”的横幅。
They also receive items including leaflets about Zibo's culture and tourism draws, as well as small souvenirs and snacks.
乘客们还会收到一些物品,包括有关淄博文化和旅游景点的传单、小纪念品和小吃。
Many also took videos and posted them on social media, drawing more visitors.
许多乘客还拍摄了视频并发布在社交媒体上,吸引了更多游客。
"The high-speed trains are packed with passengers and the air smells of cumin," wrote one netizen.
一位网友写道:“高速列车上挤满了乘客,空气中弥漫着孜然的味道。”
Barbecue is popular in China, but Zibo's barbecue is different on three counts; it's made on a stove, and is served with flatbread and dressings.
烧烤在中国很受欢迎,但淄博的烧烤有三点不同;淄博烧烤是在炉子上制作的,配有面饼,还要调料一起吃。
The skewers are 70-80 percent cooked before they are brought to the table, where diners can finish cooking them on their own stoves, which lends a sense of participation.
烧烤在被端上餐桌之前已经达到70-80%的熟度,食客可以在自己的炉子上完成烹饪,这给食客一种参与感。
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.
餐桌上有面饼、葱和其他调料,因此食客能够组装自己的烧烤包,这和北京烤鸭的吃法基本相同。
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.
2月下旬,一群大学生拍摄了他们吃淄博烧烤的视频并发布在了社交媒体上,而后,淄博烧烤突然走红。
Since then, many people, mostly young, have flocked to the city from all over the country to try the dish.
从那时起,许多人从全国各地涌向淄博来品尝烧烤,其中大部分是年轻人。
According to local media reports on Wednesday, searches for "barbecue" increased by 370 percent in March, and searches for "Zibo barbecue" on the platform as a whole have increased by 770 percent year-on-year.
周三,据淄博当地媒体报道,3月份“烧烤”搜索量增长370%,而整个平台上“淄博烧烤”的搜索量同比增长770%。
On several streets, lines can be seen outside barbecue restaurants, which stretch for more than 100 meters on the weekend.
在周末时,淄博一些街道上烧烤店外排起了百余米的长队。
"Zibo barbecue is bringing more and more people to the city, and the local government needs to think about how to promote the city as a whole, its culture and tourism, as well as its living and business environment," said Sun Xiaorong, a member of the expert panel of tourism marketing and promotion that is supervised by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.
山东省文旅厅主管的山东旅游营销专家委员会成员孙小荣说:“淄博烧烤给这个城市带来了越来越多的人,当地政府需要思考如何从整体上推广这个城市,推广它的文化和旅游,以及它的生活和商业环境。”
The trend will eventually end if the local government doesn't take proper follow-up measures, he added.
孙小荣补充说,如果淄博地方政府不采取适当的后续措施,这种热潮最终会结束。