Chengdu Panda Asian Food Festival: Exotic flavors attract growing fanbase in southwest Chinese city

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As Beijing hosts the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, there are also opportunities to enjoy tastes from all over Asia in southwestern China. The Chengdu Panda Asian Food Festival has become quite a treat for foodies. CGTN's Xu Xinchen has more.

After working five years in five-star hotels in Chengdu, Chef Avi Barzilay and his wife opened their own pizza bistro. Many dishes on the menu are inspired by his home country Israel, with touches of the Mediterranean.

AVI BARZILAY, OWNER PIZZA MAN "All the food we serve here is for sharing. It is not a personal dish or a three-course meal. That's the biggest part of Mediterranean food — about sharing and about love."

Now Barzilay is bringing the spirit of sharing and love to the Chengdu Panda Asian Food Festival.

XU XINCHEN CHENGDU "This iconic street in Chengdu's hottest tourist spot attracts thousands of visitors daily. And now it is packed with Israeli food-and-drink. Yet, during the week-long Chengdu Panda Asian Food Festival, options do not end here. There are other venues offering other types, such as Thai, Japanese and South Korean."

Korean noodles master, Choi Hyeokun, opened his shop in Chengdu six years ago. On a regular day, some 100 bowls of noodles are served, and the number doubles during peak periods.

CHOI HYEOKUN, OWNER NADULI KOREAN "Chengdu people are proud of their cuisine. At first, it was not easy for them to get used to foreign tastes. But still I found local people that welcome foreign tastes very much. As long as I keep doing what I am good at, people fall in love with it with time."

Koubei by Alibaba is an online lifestyle business directory. Its latest data suggests the growth of restaurants serving food from other parts of Asia in Chengdu is topping the chart nationwide. In the first quarter, the growth rate hit almost 60%, surpassing those of cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

WANG QINGLONG, CHENGDU HEAD KOUBEI "As the Chinese saying goes - food is the medium and culture is the soul. The main reason for people in Chengdu to fall in love so quickly with exotic tastes is their desire to learn more about other cultures."

As President Xi Jinping said during the opening of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, exchanges and mutual learning are essential to civilizations. And food could be among the first catalysts to kindle the desire for inter-cultural understanding. Xu Xinchen, CGTN, Chengdu.