Skewers and more

At Badaju Market in Zhangdian district, where many of the 2023 visitors first landed, the transformation is most visible. The 670-meter main street has been reorganized around cultural and tourism businesses, while two flanking side streets preserve the everyday morning market — vegetable stalls, local shoppers, the ordinary texture of city life. Tourism and daily routine now coexist without one swallowing the other.

The physical space has also been reimagined. An abandoned repair workshop has become a venue for painting and calligraphy. A former cultural bureau building is now a modern commercial complex, creating room for new businesses. Unused corners of the market have been converted rather than demolished, preserving the layered, slightly weathered character that makes the place feel lived-in rather than staged.

"Since the start of 2026, visitor numbers at the market have grown noticeably compared to last year, even exceeding the peak of the 2023 barbecue craze," said Zheng Haolin, head of the Badaju Market management office. "Visitors no longer come just for a barbecue meal. They come for the immersive experience."

Two restaurants at the market illustrate how businesses have adapted. Azi barbecue now stages theatrical performances drawing on Zibo's identity as the capital of the ancient Qi state, one of the dominant powers during the Spring and Autumn (770-476 BC) and Warring States (475-221 BC) periods, weaving stories of its founding and the old dyeing workshops of Zhoucun between courses. Since the performances premiered in August 2025, visitor numbers have jumped by 30 percent, according to Zheng.