This spring, Tianshui, a city in Northwest China’s Gansu Province, has become the latest “it” tourist destination thanks to its local delicacy – malatang (spicy hot pot). Following in the footsteps of previous trendy tourist cities like Zibo, Shandong Province and Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, Tianshui’s surge in popularity first popped off on social media.
The trend began on February 13 when a Tianshui resident posting as “Yibei Liangbaikai” shared a video promoting Tianshui’s spicy hot pot on Douyin (China’s TikTok). The video quickly garnered 1.27 million likes and was shared 1.83 million times, attracting the attention of influencers nationwide. The dish soon went viral, with Tianshui malatang-related videos amassing a staggering 20.7 billion views across Chinese social media platforms by April 1.
Capitalizing on its newfound fame, Tianshui government took cues from Zibo and Harbin to boost tourism with dedicated bus routes, free shuttles, added parking and complimentary tickets to events. As a result, a wave of tourists and foodies descended on Tianshui to savor this mouth-watering delicacy. According to reports, Tianshui welcomed more than two million tourists in the first three weeks of March.
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