A festival inviting reporters from home and abroad to enjoy Hangzhou's local food and cuisine was recently held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The festival, hosted by the commerce department of Hangzhou and the Hangzhou Daily Press Group, aimed to promote local culinary culture and boost the local catering industry.

The event is part of the annual China (Hangzhou) Food Festival, which has been every year since 2000.

Hangzhou has been making specific efforts to promote its cuisine in recent years. Since 2006, it has been holding food festivals in countries such as Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, France, Spain, Greece, Russia and Turkey.

The city also held an "Asian Food Festival" in May, which attracted 253 dining establishments from 56 countries and regions to showcase their food and interact with locals.

Hangzhou Cuisine is an important part of Zhejiang Cuisine, one of the eight major cuisines of China. It can be dated back to over 1,000 years ago.

Su Dongpo, a famous Chinese poet during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), once commented that Hangzhou has the world's most lavish cuisine.

Hangzhou cuisine also impressed state heads at the G20 Summit in 2016.

There is even a museum dedicated to Hangzhou Cuisine in the city, covering 12,470 square meters. 

The museum, designed by Cui Kai, deputy director of the China Architecture Design & Research Group, not only showcases Hangzhou’s food culture, but also has special rooms to teach visitors how to cook Hangzhou dishes.