Conclusion of Silk Road International Food Festival unlocked the new ideas of "go global " for Shaanxi cuisine

On May 15, the 10-day "Silk Road" Shaanxi Cuisine International Food Festival was successfully concluded in Xi'an. Hundreds of Shaanxi specialties and famous enterprises specializing in Shaanxi cuisine made stunning appearances. For a long time. The Shaanxi cuisine felt proud and elated finally and revealed the essence of Xi'an, a gourmet capital.

In order to promote the culture of Shaanxi cuisine and the policy of“going global” of Shaanxi cuisine and create a new business card for the international food capital, the opportunities and challenges faced by the development of Shaanxi cuisine have once again become hot topics during the Silk Road International Food Festival. 

Innovative techniques of 12 banquets to inherit the culture of Shaanxi cuisine

Shaanxi, as an important source of Chinese civilization and Chinese cooking techniques, operates the basic model of "Templates of Han and Tang Dynasties" formed by the Shaanxi cuisine in today's Chinese food. People from Qinchuan in Shaanxi Province have created and inherited Shaanxi cuisine with their skilled hands and wisdom. Shaanxi Province is rich in exquisite high-end dishes and ordinary home-style dishes, including a number of traditional dishes, antique dishes and innovative dishes, also covering a wide range of Muslim dishes, vegetarian dishes, and medicinal dishes, as well as a variety of pastry snacks with unique flavor.

Banquet of Dali County, Shaanxi Province - Nine Refreshments and Thirteen Cold Dishes were showed on the Silk Road Shaanxi Cuisine International Food Festival

Among them, 12 kinds of dishes with Shaanxi cuisine charm such as Shaanxi Government Banquet, Cang Jie Family Banquet, Nine Refreshments and Thirteen Cold Dishes, Changan Eight-View Banquet, and Silk Road Dinner at Silk Road Shaanxi Cuisine International Food Festival are not only full of flavor and taste, but also accompanied by an evocative story that reflected the essence of Shaanxi's food culture for each dish.

Encourage market vitality and build Shaanxi cuisine brand 

In recent years, Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee and Shaanxi Provincial People's Government have attached great importance to the development of Shaanxi cuisine and issued the Action Plan for Promoting the Brand Construction of Shaanxi Cuisine. Additionally, great achievements have been made in promoting the development of Shaanxi cuisine. In 2015, Baoji City was named “The Most Chinese Food City”. In 2016, Weinan City won the title of “The Capital of China's Shaanxi Cuisine”. In 2017, Xianyang City successfully held the “National Top Ten Famous Noddles Invitational Tournament”. Xi’an City won the title of“International Food Capital” in 2017 and has taken a solid step forward in the construction of an international metropolis. The catering industry in Shaanxi has become a strong driving force for economic growth in the province.

Jia Yinsheng, deputy inspector of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Commerce, pointed out that since the implementation of the “Shaanxi Cuisine Brand Innovation Project” in 2007, Shaanxi cuisine has achieved outstanding results in brand building, theoretical system research, and market recognition. In his view, we must have more practical work to promote the high-quality development of Shaanxi cuisine, focusing mainly on the construction of the Shaanxi cuisine brand research system, the construction of the Shaanxi cuisine brand standard system, the construction of the Shaanxi cuisine brand publicity and promotion system, and the  construction of Shaanxi cuisine market service system.

Wang Xiqing, special vice chairman of the China Cuisine Association, believes that the construction of the Shaanxi cuisine brand should be placed in the matrix of Chinese food culture and modern catering markets. The greatest common divisor of Shaanxi cuisine's audiences shall be read based on the catering pattern of China to activate the market energy of ancient cuisine, make it a catalyst for old cuisine and activate the industrial market.

Internet boosts new marketing and help Shaanxi cuisine to“go global”

Since 2018, Yongxingfang’s “Shuaiwanjiu”, “Chinese Hamburger of Old Jin” in the Style Street of Beiyuanmen, and “Maobi Crisp” in Chang'an sidewalk snack vendor have once become “popular foods” on new media video platforms. Tang Paradise, Great Tang All Day Mall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda and other beautiful scenery are also popular on the network, attracting numerous Chinese and foreign tourists. The “Light-point Effect” of new media has once again promoted the "Xi'an Gravity" and reputation of grand Xi’an.

Talking about how we can improve the competitiveness of various commercial formats such as Xi’an’s local cuisine, 100-year-old brands, and special shopping districts, Gao Xi, member of the Standing Committee of the Xi'an Municipal Party Committee and deputy mayor, believes that we should actively encourage and guide companies to use new medias of the Internet to develop a new economy, which is necessary means.

Professor Yao Weijun of Central China Normal University advises how to heil Shaanxi cuisine to "go global"

Professor Yao Weijun from Central China Normal University put forward five suggestions on how to help the Shaanxi cuisine to "go global" by combining with Shaanxi's history, culture, geographical features, cultural resources and other factors. Firstly, learn the experience of successful overseas restaurants to accelerate the popularity of Shaanxi cuisine in the world; Secondly, expand the influence of Shaanxi cuisine in Shaanxi  to strengthen the cantering brand of Shaanxi cuisine; Thirdly, apply for the inclusion of Shaanxi cuisine in the world intangible cultural heritage; Fourthly, grasp the "Belt and Road", and regard the countries along the Silk Road as the preferred path for "go global" of Shaanxi cuisine. Fifthly, carry out mass food popularization activities. By taking this Silk Road International Shaanxi Ciusine Festival as an example, we attached importance to international exchanges and emphasized the highlights of Shaanxi cuisine, and used the “Shaanxi Flavor” to create a new name card for the “International Food Capital”.  (Mengfan Wang)