This "food guide" leads a new trend and offers new insights into summer consumption | Searching for "Flavors" in Tianjin | Breakfast | Food

Tianjin, July 22 (Xinhua) - In the early morning, the city gradually woke up, but the northwest corner of Hongqiao District in Tianjin was already bustling. Many tourists dragging their suitcases have formed long queues, vying to appreciate the magical charm of "delicious food".

The crispy pancakes and fruits leave a lingering fragrance on one's lips and teeth, while the mellow Guoba dishes make one's tongue skip a beat. Fresh, salty, spicy, sour, sweet, bitter, and juicy, with a variety of flavors converging on the tongue.

Creating a Business Card: Gathering New Popularity with Old Flavors

The sliced mung bean noodles have a smooth texture, topped with two spoonfuls of thick special sauce and garnished with coriander. The shopkeeper, Mr. Mu, then handed a bowl of authentic Tianjin Guoba cuisine to the diner after three cuts and five cuts. "In the past, it was just for the neighbors' benefit. In the past two years, the number of tourists from other places has gradually increased, and they are almost too busy."

After leaving the northwest corner subway station in Tianjin, what catches your eye is a "food guide map". The northwest corner is named after its location in the northwest corner of the old city of Tianjin. There are over 200 merchants in the area, mainly engaged in food business.

Traditional food stores such as Guoba Cai, Noodle Tea, and Beef Cake are labeled one by one, accompanied by explanations of the changes in the old stores. Every day, diners from all over the world gather here to taste an authentic and delicious breakfast.

On July 11th, in the northwest corner of Hongqiao District, Tianjin, people walked past the northwest corner food guide map set up at the entrance. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue

In recent years, Tianjin has been committed to creating multiple consumer characteristic neighborhoods, with numerous neighborhoods represented by the northwest corner continuously improving service quality. In order to provide citizens and tourists with a fun and enjoyable experience, Hongqiao District has created a "Northwest Corner Specialty Food Map", which provides clear food coordinates, entry and exit locations, emergency shelters, and more.

The changes in many shops in the northwest corner reflect the path of clustering and high-quality development of old flavors under the trend of urban renewal. Nowadays, the average daily tourist volume in the northwest corner can reach nearly 20000 people.

Except for the northwest corner, the breakfast cuisine in various districts of Tianjin has a unique flavor. To showcase the unique breakfast cuisine of Tianjin and stimulate new vitality in tourism consumption, the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism has coordinated numerous characteristic breakfast spots within the area and carefully organized the "Breakfast Tianjin Tourism Map", guiding tourists and citizens through the streets and alleys to find the authentic Tianjin flavor.

Technology Empowerment: Playing with New Patterns by Old Time Brands

Stepping on the cobblestone road and gazing at the tall archway, the four golden characters "Hometown of Jinmen" stand out. Tianjin Ancient Culture Street, located in Nankai District, has always been a gathering place for delicious food. Goubuli steamed bun, Ear Eye Fried Cake, Gui Faxiang Fried Dough Twists...... Nearly one hundred famous representative stores of Tianjin cultural symbols are listed among them.

Walking along the street, the Fried Dough Twists Store on the 18th Street of Gui Faxiang is not far away. Punching in Fried Dough Twists Tianjin is one of the "ritual feelings" of many tourists.

On July 18th, citizens and tourists visited Tianjin Ancient Culture Street. Photo by Zhao Zishuo, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

"In the past month, sales have increased by 40% to 50% year-on-year," the salesperson told reporters. With the arrival of the summer tourism boom, the sales of local specialty foods have also entered a peak season.

The Fried Dough Twists production skills of Tianjin Gui Faxiang 18th Street have been included in the national intangible cultural heritage representative project list, and the old taste has been passed on through generations of artisans.

But the old taste never means it remains unchanged. "Young people want fresh and exquisite new products." Zhao Zheng, the deputy general manager of Fried Dough Twists Food Co., Ltd. on the 18th Street of Tianjin Gui Faxiang, said frankly that in recent years, the company has spent a lot of brains to keep up with the pace of young consumers.

From the small Fried Dough Twists that is small and easy to carry, to the more healthy sugar and high fiber Fried Dough Twists, the Fried Dough Twists on the 18th Street of Gui Faxiang, which is thriving because of innovation, once again inspires the innovative taste in its bones when it is "over 90 years old".

On June 8, at Fried Dough Twists Cultural Center on the 18th Street of Gui Faxiang, Tianjin, the staff explained the history of handmade Fried Dough Twists. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sun Fanyue

In recent years, time-honored food enterprises have focused on technological innovation and created a batch of excellent products that combine the spirit of the times and technological connotations.

"Empowering production processes with intelligent technology, while retaining traditional characteristics, endowing them with new era connotations, and attracting the attention of a new generation of consumer groups," said Xing Jianhua, Secretary General of Tianjin Time honored Brand Association.

Innovation scenario: integrating old cuisine with new concepts

Before dining, identity is extracted from the blind box, and during the meal, interactions with actors are transformed into "people in the play", savoring Tianjin culture from the play and on the plate. The "One Good Play" of Tianjin Impression City Old Wharf Restaurant has recently attracted many customers.

"Integration is the key," said Wang Jing, Project Manager of the Business Expansion Center of Tianjin North Performing Arts Group. "We narrate Tianjin's culinary culture in a theatrical form, and many viewers are very excited about what kind of food they will eat during the viewing. At the same time, by" racing "with the actors on site, diners can immerse themselves in a fusion feast of sight, sound, and taste."

Nowadays, diverse consumer demands are driving the integration and development of the traditional food industry. Lv Jingwei, Deputy Director and Associate Researcher of the Digital Economy Research Institute of Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, said, "Connecting the boundaries of different consumption forms such as food, housing, transportation, tourism, shopping, and entertainment, and forming cross-border integration, not only brings about an increase in consumption scale, but also the optimization and continuous extension of the cultural and tourism industry chain."

The audience appreciates the immersive food interactive drama "Old Wharf - In and Out of Drama".

Tianjin has launched a series of immersive, experiential, and interactive consumption scenarios during the summer, focusing on five major sectors: "Night Food and Taste, Night Hi Tianjin City", to further unleash consumption potential. More and more food companies are also complying with policies and making "integration" the main theme of development.

"The business target for the first half of the year has been successfully achieved," Liu Fang, Deputy General Manager of Guishunzhai Food Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Tianjin Food Group, told reporters. While traditional baked goods such as cakes and white cakes remain stable, the company will also open up various forms of consumption such as the Guishunzhai Pastry Culture and History Museum.

"The museum showcases the business philosophy and historical evolution of more time-honored brands, and innovatively introduces interactive management methods such as DIY production," said Liu Fang.

"We will implement the 'Breakfast Project' into the work of establishing the Tianjin urban tourism brand, expand the tourism industry chain, integrate tourism elements such as' accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping, entertainment 'into food tourism routes, create new scenarios for diversified cultural and tourism consumption, stimulate new energy in cultural and tourism consumption, release new vitality in cultural and tourism consumption, and make Tianjin a tourist friendly tourism city, continuously expanding its attractiveness," said Zhang Jian, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.