Cathay Pacific Scandal On Weibo: A Timeline

Zibo is like a huge Disneyland in Shandong. Lots of tourists go there because it's exciting and fun. BBQ is cheap and locals are friendly. However, businesses also have problems because Zibo is too popular.

Zibo is getting popular. People are talking about it because it became an online sensation. It's known for its BBQ. Young Chinese travelers like to go there.

People started partying in Zibo after seeing viral videos in April. Students from Shandong wanted to thank the city and help businesses recover. They returned to Zibo during the 'zero Covid' quarantine.

Many people wanted to try Zibo BBQ after it became popular. This caused even more people to visit Zibo. They wanted to be a part of the hype and enjoy a night of Zibo BBQ.

Zibo promoted BBQ trend with special trains and buses. They gave souvenir gift bags to visitors. Volunteers helped visitors on the streets. Police and medical teams were on standby.

Chinese media praised Zibo trend showing post-pandemic economic recovery of local tourism.

On Twitter, there was a post about Zibo by Xinhua on May 6, 2023.

Online talks were initially all about the exciting happenings in Zibo and how the city became so popular.

Recently, people have been talking a lot about the negative things related to Zibo. One essay by Song Zhibiao was translated and shared by Chinese professor Liu Yadong. The essay criticized the surge in popularity of Zibo because it seems like a fake trend and points to bigger issues in society.

People are talking about how the BBQ craze is hurting the locals. BBQ sellers are working too much and residents can't enjoy their city because there are too many tourists around. It's happening in Zibo because it's become very popular.

Zibo is not a famous tourist spot. People wonder why it's become popular. The city's history and food culture weren't well-known before.

Zibo's BBQ craze isn't because of an ancient BBQ tradition. It's about the vibe and fun of the BBQ scene. It's popular with local tourists because people say Zibo business owners are nice and prices are cheap.

The city's hype and reputation for being affordable and amiable is both its strength and weakness.

Blog section: Prices low. Expectations high. Affordability doesn't mean poor quality. Customers can demand excellence at a reasonable cost. Good pricing strategy helps a business thrive. Don't sacrifice quality for price. Better deals don't always guarantee satisfaction. Expect the best, but be willing to pay fairly. Low prices + high expectations = happy customers.

A blogger went to Zibo and posted on Weibo on May 4th. It got a lot of attention online. The blogger had 24 people with them. They spent 760 yuan ($110) on BBQ dinner in Zibo. This made each person spend only 30 yuan (or $4.5). The blogger has 1.5 million followers and is based in Shanghai.

The blogger said Zibo has high prices. They said the business owner must have made a lot of money despite the low price.

Lots of talking happened because of the post about people's crazy ideas of Zibo. Someone who wrote a lot said maybe the blogger wanted money for feeding 24 people BBQ.

The blogger said sorry for the post's sarcastic tone. They explained that prices in Zibo are cheap and within reach.

People discussed online about unrealistic price expectations in Zibo. This made more people express their desire to visit Zibo, and the trend increased.

There's a big fuss over a small issue. This is called a tempest in a teapot. The phrase means an unnecessary uproar over something minor. It's like making a mountain out of a molehill. Many people get upset over small things. It's important to keep things in perspective. Don't let minor issues ruin your day. Stay calm and don't sweat the small stuff. Remember the saying: "Don't make a mountain out of a molehill."

People are paying attention to Zibo. Even minor things can blow up on social media.

A lady found a blade in her food from Zibo. People are talking about it a lot. Some people think it's fake for attention. The authorities are looking into it.

A viral blog talked about a blade in Zibo BBQ food.

A blogger tried to ruin Lao Sun BBQ Restaurant's reputation by writing negative things about it. The same thing happened to another shop owner. A tourist ate at Lao Sun BBQ Restaurant and took a drink and cookies without asking. The owner tried to charge her for it. The tourist didn't like that and said the shop was overcharging for dipping sauce.

The BBQ restaurant faced a huge problem. The restaurant has been running for 30 years. People made a lot of harassing phone calls and abusive comments. The authorities even temporarily blacklisted the shop. Finally, the owner cleared everything up.

A shop owner had limited capacity and turned away customers. This became a viral story. Some people accused the owner of discriminating against non-local visitors.

The owner said sorry on his knees. He wanted to maintain the name of Zibo. There's a video of it. Reports say he only sleeps four hours due to the Zibo trend.

Sometimes too much hype can backfire. People may not respond well to exaggerated expectations. Promotion that appears too good to be true, can erode customer trust. Social media can amplify the hype cycle and create a frenzy that is difficult to maintain. In the end, it is better to be truthful about what your product or service can offer. Don't oversell and underdeliver. Hype can be a powerful tool when used correctly, but beware of its potential consequences.

Some people are too obsessed with Zibo that it's affecting their business.

A BBQ shop in Zibo got famous. The owner was filmed sitting in a folding chair. The shop was empty. People saw the video on social media. They shared the shop's name and location. Lots of people went to the shop.

A video showed the owner of a Zibo restaurant relaxing. The restaurant's name is 金岭日日鲜牛肉店铺.

The store couldn't handle many customers quickly. The owner said it was too much. Many people came to the shop. The nearby streets couldn't handle the extra traffic.

On Douyin, the store is very popular. Many videos of vloggers and long lines of customers are on it. People start lining up early at 6.30 in the morning.

A visitor was seen sitting in a lounge chair in a viral video. The business owner was also seen in the video. The visitor sat down while the owner was relaxing.

A business owner selling duck in Zibo named Yi Yang went viral. A woman who visited his shop made a video. She asked Yi Yang if she could touch his muscles. He said yes and she did.

Yi Yang is unintentionally famous online because of some video screenshots.

Yi Yang became famous quickly after his video went viral. Sales went up, but the huge crowds made it hard to run his shop normally. So many people came that Yi Yang couldn't handle it. They harassed and attacked him to get pictures.

Lots of people congregated by Yi Yang's store. This made it impossible for him to keep working. So he closed up shop.

Yi Yang's business has closed and he's losing money. He did a livestream and became emotional about his situation.

The People's Daily party newspaper wrote an article about the matter. They criticized the exploitation of people who become viral overnight.

Is Zibo Cooling Down? Zibo, a city in Shandong Province, China, has experienced hot weather in recent days. Temperatures reportedly soared to 38 degrees Celsius in some areas, leaving many residents feeling uncomfortable. However, weather forecasters predict that the high temperatures will soon subside, with cooler weather coming this week. This will come as a relief to residents who have been struggling to cope with the scorching conditions. So, it appears that Zibo is finally cooling down after a period of relentless heat.

Zibo's hype needs to calm down. Streets are blocked and shop owners are overworked. The trend has reached its peak, especially with the recent May Day holiday. It's time for a cooldown.

Shop owners have different ways to prevent over-hyping their businesses. A BBQ seller tried leaving negative reviews on his own shop - but it didn't work. He wrote 17 reviews, but the system marked them as spam and removed them. Despite this, the viral hashtag #烧烤店老板为劝退游客自刷17个差评# was created.

People are worried about Zibo's popularity. But there are also those who believe other Chinese cities can copy its success. They call this the "Zibo phenomenon". Zibo is seen as a hope for China's future. It sets an example for smaller cities.

Wu Xiaobo is a financial writer. He wrote an article about Zibo BBQ. He mentioned that Zibo's popularity is a new democratic and free market model. The model emphasizes public participation and shared responsibility. The local government helped facilitate this model.

PYGZ disagrees with the success of Zibo. He says it's not because of the people and free market, but because of the government and rules. Don't be naive, he says.

PYGZ says Zibo is doing well because the government has done certain things. This includes special tourism transport, not letting hotels charge too much, having police patrol teams, making sure the food is good, stopping prices from going too high, and making sure tourists are treated fairly. PYGZ thinks Zibo's government is very involved in making things better, not letting things go out of control.

The government may control the excitement surrounding Zibo. Soon, the trend may calm due to fewer social media posts, government intervention, and business owners taking breaks.

Manya Koetse wrote this blog post with input from Zilan Qian. The blog post was a collaboration between Manya Koetse and Zilan Qian.

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