Zibo, a sleepy industrial city of 4.7 million in eastern China, is not typically known as a tourist hot spot. But since China shed its Covid restrictions in January, millions of domestic visitors have flocked to the city, lured by online influencers and a craving for cheap and delicious barbecue.

Barbecue is one of the nation’s favourite cuisines, especially in the north and west of China. It typically involves small pieces of marinated meat and vegetable skewered and grilled over charcoal. Locals in Zibo particularly enjoy rolling the grilled skewers in thin pancakes with scallions. 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. That month, Zibo’s population more than doubled. On 29 April, Zibo Railway Station saw a record 87,000 train trips to and from the station, according to Chinese news website Caixin. The city also saw one of the nation’s highest hotel room occupancy rates during the Golden Week holiday in the first week of May.

Local authorities in Zibo have been quick to capitalise on the sudden influx of visitors. A barbecue zone that can accommodate 10,000 people, featuring live band performances, was built overnight. The city also launched a series of measures to promote tourism consumption, such as creating special bus routes to connect barbecue shops, holding a press conference to introduce “Zibo barbecue season” from March to November, and offering various “Zibo barbecue +” themed products that combine food with culture and travel.

But as the popularity of Zibo barbecue grows, so does the challenge of protecting its brand and quality. Several enterprises and individuals have attempted to register “Zibo barbecue” as a trademark, but they were rejected by China’s trademark law, which prohibits using administrative divisions above county level as trademarks. However, there is an exception for collective trademarks or certification trademarks that represent a group of producers or service providers.

Some experts suggest that Zibo should follow the successful examples of “Xuyi crayfish” or “Shaxian snacks”, which have registered collective trademarks and established strict quality control and market supervision systems to enhance their reputation.

Currently, Zibo is continuing to strengthen its regulation of the barbecue industry, by issuing price reminders and warnings to operators, conducting food safety and fire safety inspections, and responding promptly to any online controversies or complaints. Whether Zibo can further polish its new name card and turn its viral fame into a lasting brand economy remains to be seen.