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China and Covid19

The German Expat Phone Call That Went Viral in Shanghai [Full Transcript]

This Shanghai-based German national has had it with local anti-epidemic measures.

Manya Koetse

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On Tuesday, April 19, a recording of a phone call between a German national living in Shanghai and a translator working for the neighborhood committee was shared from WeChat group to WeChat group and went viral on Chinese social media, as well as being shared on Reddit and Twitter.

The 9-minute phone call is about the fact that the Shanghai-based German national in question supposedly tested positive for Covid-19. The man demands another test, saying he is definitely negative, and he also refuses to be taken off to a quarantine location.

In line with China’s dynamic zero-Covid policy, every resident who tests positive for Covid-19 is to be isolated at a centralized quarantine location. There have been many complaints about this mandatory quarantine rule over the past weeks.

One issue that many are concerned about is that the living conditions at some of Shanghai’s quarantine locations are sub-par at best, with people complaining about toilets not being cleaned, trash not being handled, medical staff not being present, and supplies being so scarce that some locations even saw fights breaking out over water and food.

Another issue is that the handling process of taking positive Covid-19 patients to such locations is so slow (with a lack of staff and patients-waiting-for-beds “人等床” instead of beds-waiting-for-patients “床等人” being contributing factors), that people are sometimes required to go to a quarantine location nine days or longer after they first tested positive. By that time, most of these people have recovered from Covid and actually test negative again. Not only does it not make sense for them to go to a quarantine location, they might also risk getting infected again, which would only lengthen their mandatory stay at such a location. On social media, frustrated residents have vented their anger about this issue.

Earlier this month, another phone call in which a Chinese mother also refused to comply with orders to go to a quarantine camp since they were testing negative for Covid again also went viral online. A Shanghai-based Italian national also shared his story of testing positive on March 26 – he was not picked up for quarantine until April 9th.

Phone Call Transcript

The most recent phone call between the Juweihui (居委会 neighborhood committee, hereafter abbreviated to JWH) the German national (‘Ralf’) is as follows. You can also listen to this recorded phone call in this video.

JWH: “Hello, are you Ralf? Yeah we are the juweihui. You know you are positive of Covid-19.”

Ralf: “I’m not positive. The CDC [Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention] called me two days ago to come and test me, and they never came to test me. I was positive about 12 days ago and there is no way I’m still positive. So I’m demanding a new test.”

JWH: “So you think you are negative?”

Ralf: “I know I am negative. There’s no thinking.”

JWH: “But now the policy says you have to go to the camp.”

Ralf: “There is no policy in place. The CDC called me two days ago that they would come and test me. They have no people to come and test me, so that’s not my problem if there’s no personnel. So get the CDC, get them the f*ck over here to take a test and then we can talk. I don’t care about your policy – I really don’t care – because your system is really f*cked up, it doesn’t work. I’ve been to the camp already and they didn’t want me. They sent me back home. It’s ridiculous. It’s a disgrace for you, for the government, for Shanghai, for China.”

JWH: [trying to get some words in between] “Yes.. I know..”

Ralf: “It’s a really big joke. So get the CDC, come here, take a test, I’ll be negative, and then we can talk.”

JWH: “Yeah I know, I – I know the problem is that kind of thing. But..”

Ralf: “But that’s not my problem! This is not our problem. That’s your problem, it’s your government, not mine. So solve it. Get somebody here, test me. I will make a huge scene at the center. Don’t worry, I’ll have all the media involved. Just get me a test over here. I don’t want your excuses I really don’t care. Get the CDC over here. Take a test. I’ll be negative. We’re all fine.”

JWH: “Listen to me. I’m not a person from the government. I’m just here to translate because you can’t speak Chinese. They want me to tell you that someone will take you to the camp tonight no matter what you say.”

Ralf: “If you’re a translator you’ll translate both sides, right? You’ll also translate back to them? Or you’re just translating Chinese to English? Can you also do English to Chinese?”

JWH: “Yeah. I will tell them what you say. But they just want me to tell you, you have to go to the camp.”

Ralf: “Can you tell them in Chinese I do not f*cking care? I want the CDC here to take a test. This government is really f*cked up, there is no organization. I have been to the center already. They sent me back. Me and my wife have been there. My wife is here, she’s negative, everyone here is negative. So if there’s no people testing me I really do not f*cking care.”

JWH: “Yeah I know but..”

Ralf: “Sent the police over here, sent them with a test over here. Please report to your boss to send the police over here with the test, take a test with me, and then we can test.” [Shouting in background]

JWH: “Oh..ok…I..”

Ralf: “I tested negative, first positive on f*cking April, the 3rd. April 3!”

JWH: “You haven’t..”

Ralf: “Listen to me! They left us here for twelve days, then they decided to take us. Then they sent us back home after leaving us there in the cold for five hours. This is f*cking ridiculous. This is insane. So, I’m sorry that you are in the middle, but this is ridiculous. Get your boss. Tell him I tell him he sucks. Tell him the system sucks. Tell him to send a CDC officer here and take a f*cking new test with me.. [shouting in background]..and then we can talk. The CDC called me two days ago. They said, stay home, take a test. They did not send any single person here.” [Woman’s voice in background: “We have a recording of this!”] “I have a recording of this.” [Woman’s voice in background: “We can prove everything!”] “Your system is the most ridiculous I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. My children in kindergarten are more organized than this f*cking crap here. And that’s what you can tell your boss, with nice greetings from me.”

JWH: “I – I know what you mean.”

Ralf: “You don’t know what I mean! I have pets in this f*cking place, I had to pay 6000 RMB [$935] to get my cat in rescue because your government is a piece of sh*t. You do not understand what’s going on. You have no clue. You have no clue. So get the CDC over here, take a test, and if that’s positive, I’m more than willing to go. But it’s not gonna be positive so get the f*cking CDC over here and then we can talk. But that’s how the thing must go. If not, tell your boss to bring the police. My embassy is all over you anyways already. So this is going to be massive. This is a f*cking big joke, and you know it. And you do not understand. I’m sorry you’re in the middle of this, that’s your job. So go back to your boss and translate what I just said. Tell him this policy stinks, tell him this policy does not work – it is complete chaos, it is like a f*cking kindergarten. You can tell him exactly that. Do we understand?”

JWH: “Yeah I will tell them what you said.”

Ralf: “Go get the CDC over here. The CDC called me two days ago and said that they would come and test me and they did not come. The same happened to a friend of mine in Jing’an, same procedure. It’s f*cking ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. It’s a digrace for this country and for your government. You’re like a joke in the whole f*cking world now. This country is a joke, it’s seriously a joke. And that’s what you can tell your boss. If they would have this organized – no problem. [But] they leave us here with 8 people, corona positive, for f*cking 15 days. We’re all fine, and then they decide to take us? What sort of ridiculous rule is that? That’s ridiculous. There’s no logic to this. It’s completely f*cking random. So you understand?”

JWH: “Yeah, I understand. Ok. I will call you later, maybe, ok? Thank you.”

Ralf: “Maybe you talk to your boss and then you call me back. So then I’m going to have to call my embassy again and then they will be on your ass again.”

JWH: “Ok.. I know what to say, and I will talk to them, ok?”

Ralf: “So call me back. Call the CDC. Because we cannot reach the CDC because it doesn’t work properly. They call us with random numbers. They call us at 2 AM in the morning. They call us at 3 AM in the morning. We cannot call back. This is a disgrace. A disgrace for China. So call the CDC and have them call me back and get them come over here and take a PCR test. If I’m positive, hey, you can take me, no problem. I’m fine. If it’s negative, I’m staying.”

JWH: “Yeah, I..I.. I know you are..”

Ralf: “You don’t know, don’t say you know. You have no f*cking idea. You have no f*cking idea what’s going on here. I understand you are translating, you’re in the middle of this, I’m sorry for you, but this system that you’re putting in place – the system that you are supporting – is a piece of sh*t. A piece of sh*t. It’s not working. It’s totally random. Makes no sense. People are afraid to get deported more than to get sick. This is a f*cking joke. And you do not understand. So don’t tell me you understand. Go to your boss, tell him what I said, get the CDC over here, and then call me back.”

JWH: “Ok. I will call..”

Ralf: “I will not go anywhere. I’m fine. I’m home. I cannot run away. So get the CDC over here. If they are not capable of sending a person to test, that’s not my f*cking problem. That’s your f*cking problem. That’s your boss’s f*cking problem. That’s the CDC’s f*cking problem. And a f*cking Party problem. But certainly not my problem. So take your problem somewhere else and don’t put them on me. Get the thing sorted out and then we can talk.”

JWH: “Ok”

Ralf: “And I will make the same..I would make the scene or whatever if they take me. I’m fine. I’m going to have a really nice time at the camp. It’s gonna be really ridiculous for you guys. Ah, I’m gonna love it. I’m already in touch with all the media in Germany. This is gonna be lovely, lovely.” [Woman’s voice in background: “Global glory for China!”] “Global glory. This is a disgrace for this country. Yes. Any third-world country would do this better than this. This is really, really, really shameful.”

JWH: “…”

Ralf: “So give me a call back and tell me when CDC is coming for a test.”

JWH: “Ok, I will. I will talk to them and tell you when they will come ok.”

Ralf: “When will who come?”

JWH: “The…doctor to test.”

Ralf: “Thank you. Yes.”

JWH: “Ok I will call them.”

Ralf: “Thank you. Bye bye.”

JWH: “Thank you. Bye bye.”

As the recording has gone viral online over the past 48 hours (the WeChat link was no longer online at the time of writing), there are many people who applaud the German for criticizing the system, but there are also some who think his attitude and way of speaking is not right.

One Weibo user named ‘Unidentified Susu’ (@未名苏苏) writes:

“Unexpectedly, many people say the recording of the German man cursing at the Chinese employee is so good, but I was really angry to hear it. A foreigner, on Chinese soil, should abide by Chinese laws and cooperate with China’s anti-epidemic policies. If there is inconvenience or misunderstanding because the communication is not right, there should be proper communication to solve the problem. A big German guy telling our female employees f*cking this and that, the wife shouting and screaming bad words in the background, and then so many Chinese happily sharing and liking this recording, saying it’s good that he scolded them, that’s really distressing and makes me angry. What era is this that this foreign man in China is being so arrogant and bossy to our workers, scolding our government, cursing at our employees – does he think we’re living a century ago? China does not welcome this kind of foreigners, you go back to where you came from, go back to your Germany where you can use Russian natural gas.”

But not everyone agrees. A top commenter replies: “Do you know the saying ‘support who is reasonable rather than who is closer to you’ (帮理不帮亲)? If it were you, and after more than ten days you’ve tested negative again and they want to come and take you and place you together in a makeshift hospital with people who are all positive, risking getting infected again, would you go? This is nothing personal. If he were Chinese, I would also support him, because he makes sense.”

“I would be cursing if I were him, too,” multiple people say.

But there are also other people criticizing the angry German, such as this Weibo user:

“I saw the recording of the angry German versus the neighborhood committee in my WeChat group today. I’d suggest the neighborhood committee to bring the Germans under control the German way: ‘do a PCR test? You need to book it. Send a letter or email in advance to book it, or if it’s urgent, you can come and stand in line at 5 AM to get your number. We will then send you a letter stating your date of when you can do the test.’ This is how foreigners are treated in Germany and the entire system has been a joke for ages. And if we speak English? Forget it. This is Germany, you need to speak German. German only. In the end, if you really can’t, you might as well break down the door and drag the person away.”

As for Ralf, another video posted to social media shows him drinking a glass of sparkling wine. “I’m back home,” he says, adding: “I will say this openly – f*ck this bullsh*t, and f*ck the Party, they are f*cking idiots. F*ck that sh*t. We’ve been out for six hours on a bus for no reason. We just rescued our cat and paid tons of money to get our cat rescued (..) Now they drove every foreigner back home. And we can restart the same story tomorrow again (..) Cheers, we’ll have a drink now, on the Communist Party, which we love.”

“The foreigners in Shanghai are going crazy,” one Weibo user commented on the phone call recording, with others saying: “I support this foreign guy.”

Because Ralf mentions the rescuing of his cat, it’s likely that the video was recorded before the juweihui phone call went viral. At time of writing, there has been no update on whether or not the CDC has actually come to test Ralf yet.

For more articles on the Covid-19 topics on Chinese social media, check here.

By Manya Koetse

Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our weekly newsletter and get access to our latest articles:

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2022 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Avatar

    R

    April 20, 2022 at 5:37 pm

    I loved hearing it! I would have kept my cool, but in the end I would have reacted in the same way!

    And f* those id**ts who think we can’t complain against senseless bs from the CCP just because we’re foreigners!

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China and Covid19

Repurposing China’s Abandoned Nucleic Acid Booths: 10 Innovative Transformations

Abandoned nucleic acid booths are getting a second life through these new initiatives.

Manya Koetse

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During the pandemic, nucleic acid testing booths in Chinese cities were primarily focused on maintaining physical distance. Now, empty booths are being repurposed to bring people together, serving as new spaces to serve the community and promote social engagement.

Just months ago, nucleic acid testing booths were the most lively spots of some Chinese cities. During the 2022 Shanghai summer, for example, there were massive queues in front of the city’s nucleic acid booths, as people needed a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours for accessing public transport, going to work, or visiting markets and malls.

The word ‘hésuān tíng‘ (核酸亭), nucleic acid booth (also:核酸采样小屋), became a part of China’s pandemic lexicon, just like hésuān dìtú (核酸地图), the nucleic acid test map lauched in May 2022 that would show where you can get a nucleic test.

Example of nucleic acid test map.

During Halloween parties in Shanghai in 2022, some people even came dressed up as nucleic test booths – although local authorities could not appreciate the creative costume.

Halloween 2022: dressed up as nucliec acid booths. Via @manyapan twitter.

In December 2022, along with the announced changed rules in China’s ‘zero Covid’ approach, nucleic acid booths were suddenly left dismantled and empty.

With many cities spending millions to set up these booths in central locations, the question soon arose: what should they do with the abandoned booths?

This question also relates to who actually owns them, since the ownership is mixed. Some booths were purchased by authorities, others were bought by companies, and there are also local communities owning their own testing booths. Depending on the contracts and legal implications, not all booths are able to get a new function or be removed yet (Worker’s Daily).

In Tianjin, a total of 266 nucleic acid booths located in Jinghai District were listed for public acquisition earlier this month, and they were acquired for 4.78 million yuan (US$683.300) by a local food and beverage company which will transform the booths into convenience service points, selling snacks or providing other services.

Tianjin is not the only city where old nucleic acid testing booths are being repurposed. While some booths have been discarded, some companies and/or local governments – in cooperation with local communities – have demonstrated creativity by transforming the booths into new landmarks. Since the start of 2023, different cities and districts across China have already begun to repurpose testing booths. Here, we will explore ten different way in which China’s abandoned nucleic test booths get a second chance at a meaningful existence.

 

1: Pharmacy/Medical Booths

Via ‘copyquan’ republished on Sohu.

Blogger ‘copyquan’ recently explored various ways in which abandoned PCR testing points are being repurposed.

One way in which they are used is as small pharmacies or as medical service points for local residents (居民医疗点). Alleviating the strain on hospitals and pharmacies, this was one of the earliest ways in which the booths were repurposed back in December of 2022 and January of 2023.

Chongqing, Tianjin, and Suzhou were among earlier cities where some testing booths were transformed into convenient medical facilities.

 

2: Market Stalls

Market stalls instead of nucliec acid testing booths. Image via Sina.

In Suzhou, Jiangsu province, the local government transformed vacant nucleic acid booths into market stalls for the Spring Festival in January 2022, offering them free of charge to businesses to sell local products, snacks, and traditional New Year goods.

The idea was not just meant as a way for small businesses to conveniently sell to local residents, it was also meant as a way to attract more shoppers and promote other businesses in the neighborhood.

 

3: Community Service Center

Small grid community center in Shizhuang Village, image via Sohu.

Some residential areas have transformed their local nucleic acid testing booths into community service centers, offering all kinds of convenient services to neighborhood residents.

These little station are called wǎnggé yìzhàn (网格驿站) or “grid service stations,” and they can serve as small community centers where residents can get various kinds of care and support.

 

4: “Refuel” Stations

In February of this year, 100 idle nucleic acid sampling booths were transformed into so-called “Rider Refuel Stations” (骑士加油站) in Zhejiang’s Pinghu. Although it initially sounds like a place where delivery riders can fill up their fuel tanks, it is actually meant as a place where they themselves can recharge.

Delivery riders and other outdoor workers can come to the ‘refuel’ station to drink some water or tea, warm their hands, warm up some food and take a quick nap.

 

5: Free Libraries

image via sohu.

In various Chinese cities, abandoned nucleic acid booths have been transformed into little free libraries where people can grab some books to read, donate or return other books, and sit down for some reading.

Changzhou is one of the places where you’ll find such “drifting bookstores” (漂流书屋) (see video), but similar initiatives have also been launched in other places, including Suzhou.

 

6: Study Space

Photos via Copyquan’s article on Sohu.

Another innovative way in which old testing points are being repurposed is by turning them into places where students can sit together to study. The so-called “Let’s Study Space” (一间习吧), fully airconditioned, are opened from 8 in the morning until 22:00 at night.

Students – or any citizens who would like a nice place to study – can make online reservations with their ID cards and scan a QR code to enter the study rooms.

There are currently ten study booths in Anji, and the popular project is an initiative by the Anji County Library in Zhejiang (see video).

 

7: Beer Kiosk

Hoegaarden beer shop, image via Creative Adquan.

Changing an old nucleic acid testing booth into a beer bar is a marketing initiative by the Shanghai McCann ad agency for the Belgium beer brand Hoegaarden.

The idea behind the bar is to celebrate a new spring after the pandemic. The ad agency has revamped a total of six formr nucleic acid booths into small Hoegaarden ‘beer gardens.’

 

8: Police Box

In Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, authorities have repurposed old testing booths and transformed them into ‘police boxes’ (警务岗亭) to enhance security and improve the visibility of city police among the public.

Currently, a total of eight vacant nucleic acid booths have been renovated into modern police stations, serving as key points for police presence and interaction with the community.

 

9: Lottery Ticket Booths

Image via The Paper

Some nucleic acid booths have now been turned into small shops selling lottery tickets for the China Welfare Lottery. One such place turning the kiosks into lottery shops is Songjiang in Shanghai.

Using the booths like this is a win-win situation: they are placed in central locations so it is more convenient for locals to get their lottery tickets, and on the other hand, the sales also help the community, as the profits are used for welfare projects, including care for the elderly.

 

10: Mini Fire Stations

Micro fire stations, images via ZjNews.

Some communities decided that it would be useful to repurpose the testing points and turn them into mini fire kiosks, just allowing enough space for the necessary equipment to quickly respond to fire emergencies.

Want to read more about the end of ‘zero Covid’ in China? Check our other articles here.

By Manya Koetse,

Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our newsletter and get access to our latest articles:

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©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China and Covid19

The Hottest Place in China: How Zibo Became a Popular Tourist Destination and an Online Hit

There are even special Zibo BBQ trains now. This is how Zibo barbecue suddenly became the hottest meal of the country.

Manya Koetse

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The old industrial city of Zibo treated students well during their zero Covid quarantine. This spring, they came back to celebrate the city. Their enthusiasm and social media posts were so contagious that the entire country now wants a taste of Zibo barbecue.

In central Shandong province, bordering the provincial capital Jinan to the west, you will find the city of Zibo (淄博). With its 4.7 million inhabitants, the old industrial and mining city was not exactly known as a trendy tourist destination. But that has all changed now. Everybody is talking about Zibo.

For the upcoming May 1st holiday, hotel bookings in Zibo went up 800% compared to 2019, making it one of the most popular destinations in Shandong. The city has especially attracted online attention since March of 2023, with hashtags and hot searches peaking over the previous week.

How did Zibo become such an online sensation, especially among China’s young travelers? The city’s hit status is widely discussed on Chinese social media apps these days. The emergence of such an overnight sensation is usually the result of various factors coming together at the right time, and this is also the case with the hype surrounding Zibo.

Zibo Barbecue

Its appealing barbecue culture is the first and main reason why Zibo is so hot nowadays. The city has been known for its barbecue restaurants for years, and creating a thriving open-air BBQ entertainment environment is also something the local authorities have invested in. They are publicizing Zibo as an ambassador city for “Friendly Shandong” (“好客山东”), the slogan the province uses to promote its image and boost tourism.

The Zibo BBQ experience includes every table having its own small stove and it has that ‘do it yourself’ factor that hotpot-style dinners also have: when the skewers are served, the diners have to grill them themselves and then wrap them in thin pancakes, usually with spring onions.

Zibo barbecue, images via social media.

As one of its tourism promotion initiatives, Zibo has set up special tourist trains and dedicated BBQ bus routes to attract groups of tourists and boost local tourism after the pandemic years. Train ticket sales for May 1st already doubled that of Spring Festival, and tickets for the Beijing South-Zibo route sold out online within a minute the moment they became available.

A Kind City in Difficult Times

Another reason for Zibo’s sudden fame was suggested by some Chinese netizens (including the popular @地瓜熊老六), who said that Zibo played a special role during China’s zero-Covid policy.

Zibo first went trending after a group of students from Jinan went there in March of this year. They came to Zibo because this was where they apparently were quarantined for a while during Covid, and they were well taken care of during their stay.

According to one Zibo local, the students also celebrated their last night in Zibo at the time with a major BBQ feast.

It is said that the students from Jinan wanted to go back to Zibo at this time and spend time there as a way to thank the city – not knowing they would start a viral sensation.

Power of TikTok

Douyin, the Chinese TikTok app, is also at the heart of Zibo’s recent success.

As reported by 36kr, Zibo first became a hot topic on Douyin in early March, when the videos of the initial groups of students taking the high-speed train to Zibo to eat barbecue went viral.

In April, Zibo again hit the hot trending lists on Douyin after one vlogger tried out ten different food stalls in the city and found that they all gave him the right portions or even gave him some extra food for free, reinforcing the idea that Zibo is a hospitable city.

What followed was a snowball effect, from Douyin to Xiaohongshu to Weibo, with videos showing Zibo diners singing together while eating and having a good time spreading all over social media, only increasing the appeal of the city. “Zibo is just all over my timeline,” some commenters wrote on April 15.

Crazy Travel after Covid

According to the Chinese media platform DT Finance (DT财经), Zibo is a destination that especially resonates with Chinese students who have new wishes when it comes to traveling.

Especially during the pandemic and China’s stringent Covid measures, many people have spent a lot of time indoors, quarantined, locked down, and/or unable to travel. Now that spring is here, people want to seize the moment and go out and enjoy their leisure time. This also means that instead of planning longer holidays well in advance, people book shorter, last-minute trips.

Social media pics of Zibo trips.

This is also one of the reasons why Zibo is especially popular among students from Shandong, who can hop on a train, reach their destination, and find themselves enjoying a beer and barbecue within a matter of hours.

Stories from Zibo

In light of the craze surrounding Zibo, there are various stories emerging from the thriving city that only add to its charm. For example, there are many videos showing the lively scenes around BBQ restaurants which went viral.

One visitor needed to catch his train but still wanted a taste of Zibo BBQ, so one female shop owner hurried things along and made sure he got his Zibo dinner (#淄博老板娘为赶高铁小伙1v1烤串#).

Then there was a 95-year-old veteran who visited the Zibo BBQ scene and his visit also made its rounds on social media (#95岁老兵体验淄博烧烤被围观#).

Another trending hashtag is about Zibo’s music events (#淄博音乐节#), about some of the planned events and (rock) concerts taking place in Zibo in late April and early May. “Zibo’s cultural tourism office really understand how to do it,” various commenters wrote, praising how Zibo is not just known for its barbecue restaurants but also for its lively music scene.

Then there are the videos showing an entire crowd singing ‘happy birthday’ because one person is celebrating their birthday.

All in all, it’s clear that Zibo did something right. Especially in these times when so many cities across China are doing all they can to promote their town as a tourist destination (read all about it here), Zibo has proven that consistency is key to success: stay kind, be reliable, but most of all, keep the barbecue hot.

By Manya Koetse , with contributions by Miranda Barnes

Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our newsletter and get access to our latest articles:

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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