"This must be the best Dongpo Pork I've ever had," sighed Li Lan, a Hangzhouer who have lived in Japan for more than 20 years. 

On the evening of July 2 (local time), "Zhiwei" Hangzhou Food Culture (International) Promotion was held in Tokyo. Present at the event were 100-plus representatives of the business and academic circles, mainstream media, and catering companies from both China and Japan. They enjoyed the Chinese culture behind the Hangzhou cuisine together.

Songsao Yugeng (cod fish soup), Dongpo Pork, Xie Niang Cheng (hairy crab-stuffed orange), and Dingsheng Gao (Victory Cake), etc., all the popular Hangzhou dishes, like beautiful scrolls one after another, unfold the exquisite skills and rich cultural legacies of Hangzhou delicacies as well as the spirit and its innovative vitality behind.

The event, headed by Ye Hangsheng, a master chef of Zhejiang and Hangzhou cuisines, led by Zhang Yong, a Chinese cooking master, and participated by renowned chefs of Wei Zhuang, Hu Pan Ju, Xinxin Restaurant, Lou Wai Lou, Wang Yuanxing Restaurant, provided a grand feast of Hangzhou local food that combined color, fragrance, taste, shape, utensils, and quality. What's more, the group also put on stage dough figurines, carving, and tea art performances, winning rounds of applause from the audience. 

The next stop was Osaka on July 3. Chefs from both China and Japan compared notes on cooking skills and their own understanding of the food culture. 

As the 19th Asian Games is about to kick off, the "Zhiwei" Food Culture Promotion started a "tour" over Asia to bring the city's best cuisine to Bangkok, Tokyo and Osaka. A series of food culture exchange activities were also launched. Wang Zhenxiao, Deputy Director General of Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the chief of the delegation, said "we hope our bond with other countries be strengthened through food culture exchanges."

Since 2008, Hangzhou has initiated multiple food culture activities in Portugal, Russia, the United States, Singapore, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Norway and Finland, making the local dishes, as an important carrier and platform for Hangzhou to carry out economic and cultural exchanges, a trademark of Hangzhou. It was also positive to local Chinese restaurants for future upgrading and rise of quality.