The outbound travel of Chinese consumers is accelerating the international expansion of "China's own ranking list." On August 26, the 10th anniversary overseas awards ceremony of Dianping's "Must-Eat List" was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with 489 restaurants from 48 cities in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and overseas regions making the list.

Reporters learned that this year's "Must-Eat List" includes 20 more overseas cities than last year; among the listed restaurants, 85% are hidden gems and 66% are authentic old establishments, with more unique flavors from around the world being discovered.

“When someone is in a foreign country, what they want is not just simple information, but consumption guidance left by ‘like-minded people’ who speak the same language, have similar tastes, and are also traveling, based on their real experiences,” said Tao Xuexuan, Vice President of Meituan and General Manager of Dianping Business Unit. This also reflects the platform’s community DNA of “users recommending users” that has been around for more than 20 years.

45 restaurants in 5 cities in Malaysia were selected

Chinese tourists made the list of places to "eat" local time-honored restaurants.

In recent years, the visa-free policy between China and Malaysia has been further implemented, leading to a continuous increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia. According to data from the official website of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia exceeded 4.66 million in 2025.

As Chinese tourists explore Malaysia more deeply, the "Must-Eat List," first launched in Kuala Lumpur in 2024, has gradually expanded to cover more cities across Malaysia, revealing a plethora of hidden gem restaurants tucked away in the streets and alleys. This year, 45 restaurants from 5 Malaysian cities made the list, encompassing 7 cuisines, with Malacca and Semporna being among the first cities to be included on the "Must-Eat List."

Taking Kuala Lumpur as an example, among the 13 restaurants on the list are a three-generation-old Bak Kut Teh shop, an authentic Nanyang-style ice cream parlor, and a must-try local crab hawker stall. These listed restaurants truly reflect Chinese diners' love and curiosity for the diverse flavors of Malaysia.

“Chinese tourists today don’t just come to restaurants to eat; they want to spend time finding authentic local flavors,” said the founder of Village Park Restaurant, a 26-year-old Kuala Lumpur establishment that has been listed on the Dianping (a Chinese review platform) for three consecutive years. “Many customers have told us that they came specifically to eat nasi lemak after seeing the reviews and recommendations on Dianping. We hope that our restaurant will not only sell a bowl of nasi lemak, but also become a way for Chinese tourists to learn about Malaysian culture.”

In Malacca, the manager of Grandma's Delight, a newcomer to the list, also mentioned that in the past year, she has clearly felt an increase in Chinese tourists' attention to Malacca's traditional food. "Internet platforms have given local culinary reputations the opportunity to be seen by tourists from afar, allowing local delicacies to be seen by Chinese tourists more often."

According to platform data, after the 2026 list was released, traffic to newly listed Malaysian merchants increased by 91.5%. Mr. Lee Tai Kang, Deputy Director of the Tourism Authority of Malaysia, said at the event: "With the help of Dianping, we look forward to further showcasing Malaysia's rich food, culture and tourism experiences to audiences in China and around the world."

User footprint drives the rankings to accelerate their overseas expansion.

Helping everyone find authentic restaurants in foreign countries

Nowadays, Chinese tourists traveling abroad prefer to spend time exploring the streets and alleys of foreign countries, seeking out authentic local cuisine. In unfamiliar environments, they still habitually open their favorite apps to see what other Chinese tourists have shared about their travels, find restaurants they like, and leave reviews after their experiences.

Platform data shows that in the past year, the number of searches for overseas food on the platform has exceeded 100 million, and nearly 1.5 million Chinese tourists have left more than 3 million genuine reviews for overseas restaurants.

It is the accumulation of these users' footprints that has laid the foundation for the list to extend to more cities. According to reports, this year the "Must-Eat List" accelerated its overseas expansion, reaching 20 overseas cities for the first time, including New York, Rome, and Istanbul, covering 7 countries such as the United States, Italy, and Spain, with the total number of listed restaurants increasing by 50% compared to last year.

Li Tianlei, head of the platform's overseas business, told reporters that the platform will continue to improve the accuracy and coverage of information such as overseas merchants' addresses and business hours, and will continue to improve online services with local merchants.

"The fact that the rankings have reached so many cities and regions around the world is not a unilateral choice by the platform, but rather a result of our users' needs and footprints reaching those places first," said Tao Xuexuan. "We will continue to follow in the footsteps of Chinese tourists, bringing the 'user-recommends-user' decision-making system to more destinations around the world, providing practical assistance to more users, and exploring new development opportunities with more businesses."

Industry insiders point out that various lists are now becoming a "reference system" for the public's seasonal travel, boosting cultural and tourism consumption in various regions. From the perspective of the list economy, the model of segmenting list dimensions has effectively shifted the balance of consumption. On the one hand, lists provide tourists with more targeted choices, stimulating the potential of "check-in economy" and "seasonal consumption"; on the other hand, the listed categories and destinations gain huge traffic dividends through the exposure of the lists, further driving the upgrading of the local tourism industry.

Industry insiders suggest that platforms should strictly control the authority of the rankings. High-quality rankings are not only travel guides for tourists and trendsetters for cultural and tourism consumption, but also closely related to the credibility of the platforms. Only by making good use of the value of the rankings can a win-win situation be achieved for merchants, platforms and consumers.

(Source: Cover News reporter Zhang Yuexi)