The best barbecue in China
How a city went from industrial backwater to internet sensation in a month
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A city in Shandong province has become a popular tourist destination, and an online sensation.
Zībó 淄博 was known for its heavy manufacturing industries. It was the province's second largest city, and an important industrial hub, at its height decades ago.
But in March this year young people began flocking there to enjoy Zibo barbecue (淄博烧烤 zībó shāokǎo):
The Zibo barbecue set of "big meat skewers + small flatbread + spring onions", coupled with the sense of ritual of "one table, one oven, one flatbread", has made this small city, which has been silent for a long time, become popular again.
由“大肉串+小饼+小葱”组成的淄博烧烤,再加上“一桌一炉一卷饼”的仪式感,让这座沉寂已久的小城市,重新火了起来
This overnight sensation is not down to luck; it's the outcome of an intentional marketing push by the city:
Zibo barbecue is an excellent example of having a marketing strategy based on the right conditions. Marketing needs to always adapt to local conditions, and it also needs to be flexible. The popularity of Zibo barbecue cannot be copied.
淄博烧烤是天时地利人和营销的绝佳体现,营销需要千变万化因地制宜,也需要举一反三灵活巧用,淄博烧烤的火爆不能复制。
Clues to the strategy can be found in a millennia-old text:
The answer can be found in traditional Chinese culture. In Sun Bin's Art of War: “The right time, the right place, and the harmony of people, if the three are not present at the same time, even if there is victory, there will be disaster". This covers everything on the road to success: Timing provides good fortune and opportunity; Place creates the environment and conditions of the road to success; People provide the comprehensive strength on the road to success (which is the key).
可以从传统的中国文化里找答案,《孙膑兵法·月战》云“天时、地利、人和,三者不得,虽胜有殃。”成功之路中,天时地利人和为三要素,它涵盖了成功之路的一切,天时是成功之路的伯乐、机遇;地利是成功之路的环境、条件;人和是成功之路的综合实力(成功的关键)[1]
Another factor in Zibo is presentation, and how this plays into the emotions of the customer experience:
Some people describe Zibo barbecue as life: The oven represents warmth, the small flatbread represents tolerance, and the spring onions represent confidence. When barbecue is no longer simply barbecue, emotions will drive more people to pay attention to Zibo barbecue.
有人把淄博烧烤形容为人生,烤炉子代表温度、小饼代表包容、小葱代表豪爽,当烧烤不再单纯是烧烤,情绪会带动更多人去关注淄博烧烤。 [1]
As well as delicious food, the Zibo barbecue story also has entertaining puns for the language connoisseur:
淄味 zī wèi - which sounds the same as 滋味 "taste". This translates as “Zibo taste”
鲁C lǔ C - is a slang word for Zibo. The licence plate of a car from Zibo starts with “鲁C”: The character 鲁 lǔ means Shandong 山东, and “C” means Zibo.
Chinese number plates assign a letter to a city according to its importance. “A” is always reserved for the capital city.
“鲁C” is also the name of a Beijing restaurant selling Zibo barbecue, whose overnight success has made it a top restaurant - becoming C位 - the top spot.
So, that’s what we explore this week: How this forgotten industrial city attracted thousands of tourists through clever use of online traffic (流量) first through food, and then kept them there (留量) with great service.
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Favourite Five
1. 撸串 lū chuàn
eat barbecue
3月8日“大学生组团坐高铁去淄博撸串”登上抖音同城热搜,引起自媒体、美食博主们纷纷前去打卡 - On March 8th, "College students take the high-speed rail to Zibo for barbecue skewers" appeared on Douyin's local trending topics, leading to influencers and food bloggers going there and sharing images of themselves online. [2]
2. 整活 zhěng huó
pull off something impossible
以“淄博烧烤”为关键词进行搜索,可以发现不少本地人和游客赞赏了淄博的“整活能力” - Searching for the keyword "Zibo barbecue", we can find that many locals and tourists are impressed at Zibo’s ability to make things happen. [4]
Note: An Internet slang term.
3. 火出圈 huǒ chū quān
become really popular; go mainstream or go viral
淄博烧烤的火爆不能复制,但我相信,会有另一种“火出圈”在来的路上 - The popularity of Zibo barbecue cannot be replicated, but I believe that other cities will find their own ways of going viral. [1]
Note: We have discussed 出圈 before, which is an internet slang word meaning to become famous beyond a small group of people or sector.
Related: 走红 zǒu hóng - "go red", to become popular.
4. 烟火气 yān huǒ qì
fireworks: lively
烟火气十足的烧烤店里,曾婷摆着两三盆精致的郁金香,无时无刻接受着煤炭油烟的洗礼 - In the smoky barbecue restaurant, Zeng Ting placed two or three pots of exquisite tulips, which receive the baptism of coal fumes all the time. [3]
Note: This phrase can be translated as smoky. It can also be a metaphor for a lively atmosphere. It was a common phrase in describing the atmosphere in Zibo.
5. 天时地利人和 tiān shí dì lì rén hé
the right conditions
淄博烧烤是天时地利人和营销的绝佳体现,营销需要千变万化因地制宜,也需要举一反三灵活巧用 - Zibo barbecue is an excellent example of having a marketing strategy based on the right conditions. Marketing needs to always adapt to local conditions, and it also needs to be flexible. The popularity of Zibo barbecue cannot be copied. [1]
Note: A well-known line from Mencius. We explore further in The China Project Phrase of the Week. And, we go deeper in the member podcast.
Consuming the Conversation
Useful Words
6. 蹭 cèng
jump on the bandwagon
蹭一波热点,把淄博烧烤这个饮食文化的点宣传极致,然后再顺势开展淄博的城市营销,这样的做法非常的明智 - It is a wise move to take full advantage of the wave of publicity to promote the food culture of Zibo barbecue, and then the city itself. [4]
7. 种草 zhòng cǎo
seeding posts published by “key opinion customers” - KOCs
新媒体渠道、短视频渠道,让“种草”的可视感、便捷度及速度都得到了极大的提升 - New media channels, and short video channels, have greatly improved the visibility, convenience and speed of "seeding by KOCs online". [1]
More: We last discussed this in October last year.
8. 拔草 bá cǎo
pluck grass; try a product that is seeding or becoming popular
大学生们有了去淄博“拔草”的机会,于是开始组团坐高铁到淄博撸串 - College students had the opportunity to go to Zibo to try it out for themselves, so they went in groups on the high-speed train to Zibo to eat barbecue. [4]
Note: this can sometimes mean to stop the desire to buy and therefore not buying something; or as here, it can also mean to buy or try out what's in the seeding post.
9. 名片 míng piàn
name card; brand
“淄博烧烤”已经成为淄博的新名片 - "Zibo barbecue" has already become part of the city’s brand. [1]
10. 外溢 wài yì
spill over; have an effect
淄博老家的网红品牌效应开始外溢了,鲁C大家也都明白其中的含义 - The Internet brand effect of Zibo has begun to spill over, and everyone understands the meaning of “Lu C”. [3]
11. 够呛 gòu qiàng
extremely
房东大姐心眼好,心疼她们,也来跟她们帮忙上菜端盘子,但还是忙得够呛 - The landlady is kind-hearted and feels sorry for them. She also comes to help them serve dishes, but even then they are still too busy. [3]
Three-character phrases
12. 仪式感 yí shì gǎn
sense of ceremony
仪式感也被称为一种高级营销,有时候,他不需要大张旗鼓,只需要小小的举动,就能创造出 - Creating a sense of ritual can be called a kind of sophisticated marketing. Sometimes, it doesn’t need to be much, and it can be created with small actions. [1]
Related:
代入感 dài rù gǎn - to be able to identify with someone else or a certain situation
失落感 shī luò gǎn - sense of disappointment
13. 掉链子 diào liàn zi
drop the chain; make a mistake
山东淄博烧烤火出圈后,“从政府到市民没有一个掉链子” - After Shandong Zibo barbecue went viral, no one has put a foot wrong: from the government to the residents of the city, they've all contributed to its success. [1]
Note: A north eastern slang word which we have discussed before.
14. 饭搭子 fàn dā zi
someone to eat with
当地人都会积极主动在评论区主动发出邀请,“一个人来也没关系,我可以当你的饭搭子” - Locals will take the initiative to send invitations in the comments: "It doesn't matter if you come alone, I can be your meal partner." [2]
Note: A slang word from the Hangzhou dialect.
Idioms
15. 不远千里 bù yuǎn qiān lǐ
not afraid to travel long distances
大家真的不远千里万里来淄博体验烧烤了 - Everyone is not afraid of travelling huge distances to get to Zibo and try the barbecue there. [2]
Note: Can also be written as 不远万里 (bù yuǎn wàn lǐ), or if you really want to emphasise, it can be as here with both: 不远千里万里 (bù yuǎn qiān lǐ wàn lǐ).
16. 心驰神往 xīn chí shén wǎng
thoughts fly to another place; want to be there
小饼、肉串和葱三位一体的吃法,令千万观众隔着屏幕就禁不住对淄博烧烤心驰神往 - The holy trinity way of eating flatbread, meat skewers and spring onions together has made millions of viewers watch with fascination through the screen, wishing they were there in person. [4]
Related: 望眼欲穿 wàng yǎn yù chuān - a sight for sore eyes; tantalising
17. 因地制宜 yīn dì zhì yí
adapt according to local conditions
营销需要千变万化因地制宜,也需要举一反三灵活巧用 - Marketing needs to be ever-changing and adapt to local conditions, and it also needs to be flexible. [1]
18. 脚不沾地 jiǎo bù zhān dì
without one’s feet touching the ground
面对突如其来的流量,她每天忙得脚不沾地,“一天只能睡五六个小时” - Facing the sudden increase in customers, she was so busy that she could only sleep five or six hours a day. [4]
Related: Same as 忙得不可开交 máng de bù kě kāi jiāo.
19. 一枝独秀 yì zhī dú xiù
to outshine the others; be the best
在自然风光上,淄博的山水也算是山东的一枝独秀,溶洞景观可谓是名满天下 - In terms of natural scenery, the mountains and rivers of Zibo are outstanding in Shandong, and the landscape of its karst caves is said to be famous all over the world. [4]
More: 名满天下 míng mǎn tiān xià - famous across the world
20. 口口相传 kǒu kǒu xiāng chuán
word of mouth
靠着山东大学生间的口口相传,以及流量的助推,淄博成为热门旅游目的地 - Relying on word-of-mouth among college students in Shandong, and with the help of web traffic, Zibo has become a popular tourist destination. [4]
Phrases
21. 流量密码 liú liàng mì mǎ
(cracking) the code to generating web traffic
在“淄博烧烤”的流量密码里,也藏着不少巧用天时的影子 - There are also many hints at the city’s clever use of time in the secret recipe of Zibo barbecue’s success. [1]
22. 无后顾之忧 wú hòu gù zhī yōu
to have no worries
强大的后勤保障让淄博烧烤无后顾之忧,不再有“青岛大虾”的遗憾,解决了用户怕被坑的心理担忧 - The strong logistical support in the city means what happened in the "Qingdao prawns" incident will not happen with Zibo BBQ. This addresses the concerns of customers who are worried about being overcharged. [1]
Note: The “Qingdao Prawns Incident” is a consumer rights scandal from 2015 where a a seafood restaurant in the city was found to be over-charging tourists for prawns.
23. 孔明借东风——巧用天时 kǒng míng jiè dōng fēng, qiǎo yòng tiān shí
Kong Ming makes best use of the elements
说到天时,最耳熟能详的自然是草船借箭的故事,“孔明借东风——巧用天时”已成为一个歇后语 - In terms of timing, the most well-known example of using one thing to achieve another objective is the story of how Kong Ming used the easterly wind and timing to win the battle. [1]
Note: Kong Ming is a courtesy name of Zhū Gěliàng 诸葛亮. This phrase is a Chinese pun (歇后语) which tells the story of how Zhu used the easterly wind to great effect to win the Battle of Red Cliff in 208. Two other idioms we have learned from the same time in history are:
万事俱备,只欠东风 wàn shì jù bèi, zhǐ qiàn dōng fēng - Everything is ready, except the easterly wind (the critical factor)
折戟沉沙 zhé jǐ chén shā - broken halberds [arms] buried in the sand; reminder of a fierce battle of a beaten army, or suffer a crushing defeat
More: 草船借箭 cǎo chuán jiè jiàn - using straw boats to borrow arrows, using one thing to achieve another objective.
We discuss these idioms more in the member podcast.
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