Chengdu strives for title of gastronomic city

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Chengdu strives for title of gastronomic city

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Sichuan cuisine, along with Shandong, Guangdong (Canton), and Jiangsu cuisines are renowned as four major schools of China's culinary art. Sichuan cuisine has long history, Originating in Sichuan Province of western China, Sichuan Cuisine, with more than 1,000-year long history, enjoys good reputation for being spicy and flavorful. The origin of Sichuan Cuisine can be traced back to the Qin Dynasties. Statistics show that the number of Sichuan dishes has surpassed 3,000, of which more than 300 dishes are especially famous. In fact, Sichuan cuisine boasts a variety of flavors and different methods of cooking, featuring various tastes. 

As the origin of the Sichuan Cuisine, there are more than 30,000 different-sized restaurants, of which over 100 are large-sized ones. You can find restaurants almost every street. With the trend of globalization, Sichuan Cuisine is increasingly known worldwide.

The Chairman of UNESCO's Executive Board, Ambassador Olabiyi Babalola Joseph Yai (Benin), who attends the ongoing The 2nd International Festival of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Chengdu, highly praise the Chengdu food. 　　

Yai said this is the third time for him to visit Chengdu, and he loves Chengdu food. "Because spicy food is popular in Africa, so the Sichuan cuisine makes me fell very comfortable. I have read an article by a French author, saying that Chengdu, Africa, and Brazil are the 3 most famous gastronomic places featured with spicy favor in the world." Yai also showed his attention and support to Chengdu's application for the title of the City of Gastronomic under UNESCO. "Chengdu food owns unique characteristics. Though it is only part of China's abundant gastronomic culture, it can represent China. So I put high hope on the success of Chengdu's application," said Yai.  

Du Yue, Vice Secretary-General of the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO, affirmed Chengdu's application for the title of City of Gastronomy. He said, over an interview during the International Festival of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, that Chengdu owns abundant tangible and intangible cultural heritages, which enables the city to further develop its cultural industry. In this case, Chengdu can leverage those two kinds of cultural heritages to fully explore the value of traditional culture in the contemporary time.         

According to the report, Chengdu has submitted the application for the Title of City of Gastronomy under the patronage of UNESCO In the beginning of 2008, in a bid to be actively engaged in the international non-governmental exchange, demonstrate the city's cultural resources, promote the development of food and creative industries, and broaden the city marketing channels in the global platform. Currently, the application has secured the positive recommendation from the Ministry of Commerce of China, and passed the review by the experts organized by the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO. The commission will submit it to the UNESCO for review soon.

Definition

Creative Cities Network

The Creative Cities Network is a project under the patronage of UNESCO. With the aim of celebrating and maintaining cultural diversity, the alliance formed by member cities shares their experiences in promoting the local heritage, as well as discuss plans on how to cope with the influx of globalization. The Creative Cities Network aims to find and enrich a member city's cultural identity in the midst of a growing trend towards internationalism. The project focuses on the main product of excellence of these cities, and finds ways to maintain its relevance in city life, local economy and social development. The fields of excellence are classified among: Literature, Cinema, Cinema, Music, Folk Art, Design, Media Arts, and Gastronomy.

The following list of criteria and characteristics serves as a guide for cities interested in joining the network as a City of Gastronomy:

● Well-developed gastronomy that is characteristic of the urban center and/or region;

● Vibrant gastronomy community with numerous traditional restaurants and/or chefs;

● Local know-how, traditional culinary practices and methods of cooking that have survived industrial/technological advancement;

● Traditional food markets and traditional food industry;

● Tradition of hosting gastronomic festivals, awards, contents and other broadly-targeted means of recognition;

● Respect for the environment and promotion of sustainable local products;

● Nurturing of public appreciation, promotion of nutrition in educational institutions and inclusion of biodiversity conservation programs in cooking schools curricula.