Inspection tour

On May 6, a meeting of the standing committee of the Zibo municipal Party committee decided that the industrial sector, particularly manufacturing, is still key to Zibo's high-quality development, and that the city must always prioritize development of the industrial sector.

During an inspection tour of Linzi on May 9, Ma Xiaolei, Party secretary of Zibo, urged local authorities to seize the opportunities emerging from the city's reputation and influence, which have been enhanced recently by the barbecue trend. They should also continue to attract people and resources to woo high-end talent and lure innovation-oriented and manufacturing companies to the city, Ma said.

Ding Changfa, an associate professor in the Department of Economics at Xiamen University's School of Economics, was quoted by Time Weekly as saying, "In the long run, old industrial cities such as Zibo cannot rely solely on the barbecue, catering and cultural tourism sectors, because they don't have distinctive scenic spots. Such cities will continue to rely on innovation in the future."

Industrial projects have been developed in Zibo for more than 100 years since iron ore and coal were discovered in the city's Boshan district in the early 20th century.

The city was once an industrial hub for the chemical industry, with coal, iron, bauxite, silk, ceramics, glass, electricity and machinery the pillars of its economy.