User reviews and geolocation data turn forgotten backstreets into viral destinations. Small unknown eateries become popular hotspots thanks to user-generated lists on online platforms. On a balmy evening in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, the aroma of slow- simmered soup wafts from a narrow alley. Inside a 39-square-meter shop barely wide enough for two rows of tables, the clang of ladles and the chatter of diners never stop. Wang Li, the boss of Hengmao Soup, wipes her brow as she lifts yet another steaming clay pot from the charcoal stove – her 1,000nd of the day. During the National Day holiday, the soup shop saw its online traffic spike 272 % compared with normal days. “It’s been like this since we were put on the ‘Must-Eat List’, a user-driven food ranking of Dazhong Dianping under the internet company Meituan. People come from all over the country and line up for hours just to taste our soup,” she said. This humble eatery, glowing late into the night under neon lights, has become a symbol of a new wave of consumption sweeping across China – one powered not by luxury malls or online flash sales, but by small, local businesses. As China looks to consumption to drive its economic momentum, scenes like this are being celebrated as part of a larger economic story.
Chen Xinhua, President of the China Hospitality Association, said: “Local flavors and smaller businesses have become an increasingly vital force in boosting consumption.” This year’s Government Work Report again emphasized consumption as the “main engine and stabilizing anchor” of economic growth. Last year, China’s total retail sales of consumer goods reached CNY48.8 trillion, up 3.5% year-on-year. Final consumption expenditure contributed 44.5% to overall GDP growth, according to the the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Behind these headline figures lies a new understanding of what drives people to spend, not just convenience or necessity, but experience, emotion and connection. Over the National Day holiday, millions of Chinese travelers turned the country into one sprawling tasting scene. According to Dazhong Dianping, traffic on its “Must-Eat List” surged nearly 180% compared with the previous month. Major cities like Shanghai; Beijing; Guangzhou, Guangdong province; Chengdu, Sichuan province; and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, led the pack, but smaller cities emerged as the real “dark horses”.
Local culinary hotspots such as Nanchang in Jiangxi province; Quanzhou in Fujian; and Zhuhai in Guangdong province, saw traffic soar over 217%, driving orders up by more than 220%. Across the nation, over 70% of hustle and bustle eateries – neighborhood stores known for their local flavors – saw their traffic double. In the backstreets of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, a noodle shop found itself overwhelmed by travelers following the app’s map. “We sold hundreds of pounds of eel in a week,” said its owner surnamed Xu, who has run the stall for over a decade. “We added 10 more outdoor tables just to keep up. I never expected the list to be so powerful.” His eatery, which has been listed on the platform for 13 years, boasts a 4.1 rating for taste. A recent reviewer summed it up: “Waited an hour, finished in 10 minutes. Worth every second.” These “hidden gems” – often family-run, decades-old businesses – are now national stars, riding a wave of digital discovery that blends tourism with grassroots commerce.
As travelers seek more personal, place-based experiences, taste tourism became a defining keyword of 2024. In the southern city of Liuzhou in Guangxi, Huang Ji Soy Milk is run by a group of sisters who serve freshly fried dough sticks and handmade soy milk until 3 am. “We’ve been here for nearly 10 years,” said the 54-year-old owner. “People come because it tastes like how it was in their childhood.” The sisters refuse to use machines. Soybeans are soaked by hand for exactly 10 hours in winter, less in summer. Dough is kneaded until translucent before frying. “My son helps now,” she said. “It’s not just a business, it’s a craft.” In Guangzhou, Liang Xin Ji, a small snack shop that has been open for 17 years, saw a boom both in-store and online.
The same appetite extended to online platforms. According to Meituan, orders for highly rated “Must-Eat” restaurants surged by 165% among non-local users during the holidays. In cities like Shanghai, Chengdu in Sichuan province and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, delivery-based taste tourism has become the new norm, where people order famous local meals to their hotel rooms. Delivery riders felt it too. In Changsha in Hunan province, courier Wei Wangjun recalled: “More than half my deliveries went to hotels. Some even used the one-to-one rush delivery to make sure the food arrived hot and perfect.” China’s small businesses, from family diners to street vendors, account for over 90% of registered enterprises and employ hundreds of millions. Their vitality is central to the nation’s consumption upgrade: a shift from mass production to personalized experience, from mere spending to emotional resonance. Digital platforms like Meituan have become unlikely engines of this transformation, using user reviews and geolocation data to turn forgotten backstreets into viral destinations, the China Daily reports.
