East China's historical city Quanzhou sets to be added to UNESCO's "City of Gastronomy" list, focusing on not only preparing tasty cuisines, but also building a mature supply chain.
As a famous historical and cultural city in China, Quanzhou used to be selected as an UNESCO heritage site. This city is currently endeavoring to establish a new signature of gastronomy.
"These are traditional dishes with a long history, like this beef. Quanzhou has along history of cooking beef. This dish has curry inside, which was an import from southern Asia. This black chicken is a specialty of Quanzhou," introduced by Liu Shuwen, the president of Quanzhou Cuisine Association.
Liu said that becoming a city of gastronomy can promote the sales of local agricultural products and ingredients to the whole country and even the whole world.
When it comes to culinary, the origin of an ingredient can strongly affect its flavor. Some local dishes can only be made with local ingredients to obtain the special flavor, strengthening the uniqueness of food.
"Our ingredients including Dehua Black Chicken, Fujian Wine, Dehua Camellia Oil are all from local places," said Hu Canhui, the chef of Zayton Courtyard.
An hour and a half away from the center of Quanzhou City, Dehua County is situated as a distribution center for local agricultural products. The Dehua Black Chicken is a landmark agricultural product which is raised free-range in the mountains.
As the head of Daiyun Farmers Cooperatives, Zeng Xianzhong started to raise black chickens since 2011. Now around 350,000 chickens are raised every year.
"Our chickens are widely sold in supermarkets and communities. We are now planning to build an industrial park, because we have to make pre-cooked food for cross-provincial and even global trade," Zeng said.
The mature industrial chain and the increasing food consumption market are the bases to support Quanzhou's bid for the "City of Gastronomy".
"Behind the delicious cuisine lies the service industry which is related to people's wellbeing. We want to engage in this industry because food connects everything. The purpose of our bid for City of Gastronomy is not only to enhance the Quanzhou's reputation, but more importantly, to gain benefits for our people," said Lin Wenchao, Deputy Director of Quanzhou's Special "City of Gastronomy" Team.
East China's Quanzhou City aims to become city of gastronomy
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
