LANZHOU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Overlooking the majestic Yellow River from atop a 60-story skyscraper, 26-year-old Liu Jiajia and her friends eagerly relished Lanzhou beef noodles at a stylish restaurant in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, pairing the time-honored local delicacy with a distinctly modern experience.
Tracing back to the "hot pot noodle" stalls in 1915, a bowl of Lanzhou beef noodles has often been the first meal locals share with friends visiting the city, with its aroma a signature of the street snacks and popular lifestyles.
Today, however, enjoying that bowl of noodles has taken on an entirely new atmosphere. Fueled by technological innovations and optimized management models, the century-old dish is rapidly appealing to younger consumers and expanding into overseas markets, bringing authentic Chinese flavors to diners around the world.
Tao Li, manager of the restaurant where Liu and her friends dined, said Lanzhou beef noodles are becoming a must-order specialty, attracting nearly 400 customers per day and generating about 40,000 yuan (about 5,846 U.S. dollars) in daily revenue during peak seasons.
The soaring demand is evident across Lanzhou's leading restaurants and tourist attractions, prompting beef noodle producers to ramp up production while maintaining quality control, and driving the adoption of technological upgrades and process innovation.
At a Lanzhou-based pre-packaged beef noodle factory, an electronic tongue quality control system is used to translate broth flavor into digital readings, enabling precise, data-driven flavor management down to decimal-level accuracy.
Wang Xiaowei, the company's general manager, said that with industrial production lines and smart supply chains, traditional broth-simmering techniques for the beef noodles are now largely automated at the factories.
With the automation rate for core ingredient processing reaching 80 percent, Wang said the company aimed to expand home consumption scenarios and steadily advance the standardization of the beef noodle industry.
However, the charm of the Lanzhou beef noodles lies not only in the savory taste.
For Eugenio Lanzetta, an Italian designer from Milan traveling to Lanzhou, it is the dazzling noodle-stranding technique that makes the dish so special.
Turning dough into thousands of silk-like noodles, such a seemingly magical technique is a vivid expression of China's unique food culture, which holds immense potential in the international market, Lanzetta said.
Connoisseurs like Lanzetta would be surprised to find Lanzhou beef noodle restaurants in Chinatowns or bustling commercial districts back home.
On social media platforms, netizens have also shared their dining experiences at Lanzhou beef noodle restaurants around the world, where the bright, steaming broth and skilled noodle-pulling techniques closely mirror those in Lanzhou.
The secret behind such popularity lies in a standardized management model, under which operators introduce authentic spices, ingredients and even chefs from Lanzhou to beef noodle shops across the world, said Liang Shunjian, head of Gansu Jinweide Noodles Culture Industry Group Co., Ltd., who operates Lanzhou beef noodle restaurants in more than 60 countries.
"From broth simmering to noodle stretching, every step follows traditional techniques," Liang added, noting that the company has already registered its trademark for further development overseas.
According to the Gansu provincial department of commerce, more than 600 Lanzhou beef noodle outlets have been opened in over 60 countries and regions, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.
Yang Bingwen, an official of the Lanzhou commerce bureau, said the total industry chain revenue of the noodles has reached 80 billion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 33 percent.
China is working to expand the supply of high-quality consumer goods and services to further stimulate economic growth.
The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), released in March this year, called for vigorous initiatives to strengthen brand development, upgrade standards and promote the adoption of new technologies, thereby satisfying diversified consumer demands.
"Lanzhou beef noodles are both an affordable delicacy on street corners and a mobile cultural symbol," said Ma Limin, president of the Lanzhou Beef Noodle Industry Association.
As the noodles become a driving force in introducing Chinese food culture, Ma expects the renowned snack to further expand its international clientele and unleash more economic momentum. ■
