Southwest China's Sichuan province is known for its spicy, tongue-numbing food. It's no wonder many westerners see it as the most representative form of Chinese cuisine and a must-try while in China. Now gourmets of all tastes have an opportunity to experience the joys of Sichuan food with the launch of a food festival by the provincial government in the capital Chengdu, CCTV reported Wednesday.

Sichuan Governor Zhang Zhongwei announced the opening of the 2004 International Food and Tourism Festival of China. The week-long event, taking place at five districts in Chengdu, will focus on promoting Sichuan cuisine. Cooking contests, film shows and food industry forums will be held to give people a better understanding of the development of food culture in the province.

The main venue of the festival, the Panda Mall in Chengdu, has been decorated as a huge kitchen. Representative dishes from all eight schools of Chinese cuisine are on show, together with food from several other countries and regions.

For those who want to learn to cook Sichuan food, recipe books recommended by renowned restaurants are also on offer. But better than any cooking lessons are the celebrated chefs who've been invited to show their cooking expertise.

The festival mood has spread beyond Sichuan province. The organizing committee has invited over 500 Sichuan restaurants across the world to give customers discounts during the festival.

The opening ceremony also marks the beginning of a large-scale film project entitled "A Trip to the City of Abundance". Reporter teams from CCTV and 25 provincial and municipal TV stations have gathered in Chengdu, ready to capture the food capital's unique culture and leisurely lifestyle

Source: Xinhua