Tourists savor the delights of Tianshui malatang in Tianshui, Gansu province, on March 16, 2024. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

Since early March, videos and photos of Tianshui malatang have been going viral on social media platforms. It all started when a netizen released a seven-second video on Feb 13 that garnered millions of views. More vloggers followed suit, and then the tourists began to arrive in droves.

Within a month, bookings for hotel rooms in Tianshui had quadrupled year-on-year, according to Ctrip, an online travel platform. Qinzhou district, where most malatang restaurants and attractions are located, received more than 770,000 tourists, local authorities said.

Lei Hongliang, director of the Tianshui Catering Industry Association, said the special pepper used in the dish is key to the unique flavor. Gangu pepper — from the city's Gangu county — is nationally recognized. It tastes good, but is not as spicy as some other types.

To increase the popularity of malatang, he suggested maintaining a stable price and standardized flavor to "make Tianshui flavor a distinctive brand".

Each bowl on average costs about 21 yuan ($2.95).