On 2 February 2018, Spring Line: the first China Gourmet Festival was opened at the Parkroyal Hotel Yangon, Myanmar. This event was sponsored by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), organized by the Beijing Minzu Hotel and Parkroyal Hotel Yangon, co-organized by Myanmar-China Tourism and Culture Promotion Society and China Yunnan Helitiandi Enterprise Group Co,, Ltd. The Embassy of China in Myanmar, Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Beijing Tourism Group and the Myanmar Embassy in China were supporters to this festival. Attended the opening ceremony of the festival were Mr. U Sein Win Aung, Chairman of Myanmar-China Friendship Association, Mr. Lyying Sayaxang, Ambassador of Lao PDR to Myanmar, Mr. Khaled Mohammed, Ambassador of Egypt to Myanmar, Mr. Joao Freitas de Camor, Ambassador of Timor-Leste to Myanmar, Mr. Sun Jianhua, Deputy Director of Education, Culture and Tourism Division (ECTD) of ACC, Mr. Tian Shanting, Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of China in Myanmar, Mme. Xia Minhui, General Manager of Beijing Minzu Hotel, Mr. Mark Losi, General Manager of Parkroyal Hotel Yangon, representatives of Embassies in Yangon, China and Myanmar friendship Associations, China and Myanmar entrepreneurs and media representatives, totaling around 300 people.
Mr. Sun Jianhua said that 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership, and it is also designated as the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation. With great innovative efforts, ACC initiated the China Gourmet Festival in Myanmar and planned to organize Myanmar Gourmet Festival in China in the same year. It is hoped that by conducting events on Myanmar-China food culture exchanges, both sides could promote tourism resources respectively, explore and enrich exchange forms and contents, and enhance Myanmar-China people-to-people exchanges as well.
Mr. Tian Shanting said that the food culture of a nation originates from its history and cultural environment. Food is the most direct and simplest interpretation of a national culture. He hoped that through this kind of pure and simple cultural exchange, the people of both China and Myanmar could not only enjoy delicious food, but also get a better understanding of each other. The Chinese Embassy will continue to support the Myanmar Gourmet Festival in China this year.
Mr. U Sein Win Aung appreciated ACC and the Beijing Minzu Hotel for presenting the China Gourmet Festival in Myanmar. He hoped that the 2018 Chinese and Myanmar food exchange activities could further enhance mutual understanding of the two peoples and promote the development of bilateral relations of the two countries.
Mr. Mark welcomed ACC and the Beijing MinZu Hotel to organize the China Gourmet Festival at the Parkroyal Hotel Yangon. He hoped that this event could be a platform to promote Chinese cuisine in Myanmar and would like to continue the cooperation with ACC and Beijing Minzu Hotel to carry out more cultural and tourism exchange activities in the future.
Ms.Xia Minhui said that the Beijing MinZu Hotel has been dedicated to providing the best service to Chinese and foreign guests since its establishment in 1959. With a view to innovating national food culture and promote China and foreign food culture exchanges, Beijing Minzu Hotel has been holding gourmet festival with foreign countries for more than 10 times. In this year, the Beijing Minzu Hotel sent a cuisine team to Myanmar consisting of five top chefs to undertake the China Gourmet Festival. She hoped that this festival could present authentic Beijing and Shandong cuisines to the local people and this event could contribute to the Belt and Road initiative and play a positive and constructive role in introducing Chinese culture in Myanmar.
The Gourmet Festival will last until 17 February 2018, during which period the chef team of the Beijing MinZu Hotel will also participate in the "Opening the Door for China Spring Festival"event held by the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar on 10 February , to provide traditional and unique Chinese cuisine for local guests .