It's all about the eating

Travelers, especially young adults, are increasingly chasing authentic local food in places far and wide.

On social media platform Xiaohongshu, the hashtag "small towns worth visiting just to eat" had attracted about 1.47 billion views and more than 5.5 million posts as of December.

Rather than starting with sightseeing, some tourists search a place name and arrive with a food list already made even before the airplane lands.

Are there any cities that are just for eating — no sightseeing needed? The answer is yes. Netizens with a bent for travel are posting long lists of towns and their signature dishes.

Taken together, three destinations selected for this article show different faces of the same phenomenon: They are building their identities and economies around food, with social media platforms providing the map.

Guiyang, Guizhou province

As one commenter put it, "Anyplace in Guizhou should be on the list. It is just so, so delicious." In recent years, Guiyang has arguably risen to prominence on China's map for the food-obsessed.

Guiyang, the provincial capital, is often used as a transit hub for travelers heading to other attractions. Compared with those scenic draws, the city itself was once considered less entertaining — that is, except for its food.

Guiyang's cuisine has become a virtual consensus of praise. Travelers are a familiar sight on the city's streets, pulling suitcases while hunting for something to eat. Signs for spicy chicken, potato cakes and sticky rice frequently feature a passport-style photo — the face of the vendor working behind the countertop.

The stalls are typically small and modest, but each commands a loyal following. Potato cakes are crispy on the outside and glutinous inside, typically dipped in local chili powder. Sticky rice is mixed with lard, soy sauce and crispy pork bits, then wrapped around pickled radishes and peanuts. Every bite has a strong flavor that's unmistakably local.

"I found the sticky rice by following an online guide," said a visitor surnamed Yan from Suzhou. "In Guiyang you can even eat five meals a day."

On Xiaohongshu, posts recommend shops such as Ding's Sticky Rice and Auntie Yu's Potato Cake. When asked why vendors put their faces so prominently on their signs, a vendor selling fried potatoes laughed and said, "If you put your face out there, customers know exactly who you are, and you cannot just disappear." This presumably keeps the food quality high.

That distinctive signage has spawned its own check-in culture. When visitors are unsure whether a food stall is the one that was featured in a guide, posts may include a close-up of Auntie Yu so readers can verify the match at a glance.

If these down-to-earth morsels form the base rhythm of Guiyang's food scene, a rising accent note is reshaping its palate: coffee.