On April 16, the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris and the China Cuisine Association jointly held the "Hello China - Food Night" event, where 19 celebrity chefs from all over the country jointly cooked exquisite dishes and presented a gastronomic feast for Chinese and French guests. Qu Xing, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, Yan Zhenquan, Minister Counsellor of the Cultural Section of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in France, Wang Ying, Deputy Representative of the Permanent Delegation of the People's Republic of China to UNESCO, Liu Hongge, Director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris, Yang Liu, President of the Chinese Cuisine Association, Zhong Cheng, President of the European Times Culture Media Group and President of the European Times, Damien CESSELIN, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, Yves Garnieux, Director of the Memorial Hall of Balzac GAGNEUX), Éric DULUC, President of the Fédération Internationale de France, Marie-Pierre BOUCHER HOLLIER, Special Adviser and Honorary Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Jean-Pierre WURTZ, Honorary Director of Theatre at the French Ministry of Culture, Jean-François, Corresponding Member of the Académie Française More than 60 guests from all walks of life in France, including Patricia CHARPENTIER, a famous news host of France TV 2, attended the party. The guests listened to the wonderful voice of Chinese silk and bamboo, and talked about the friendship between China and France while tasting Chinese food culture.
The scene of the event
Liu Hongge, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris, said in his speech that China and France are both big gastronomic countries, and the exchange of culinary skills is always new, the Chinese food culture has a long history, and French cuisine is world-renowned. The purpose of this event is to let Chinese and French friends hear the beautiful sound of Chinese music, appreciate the beauty of Chinese and French culture, taste the taste of Chinese food, and jointly promote mutual cultural learning and people-to-people ties between China and France through food exchanges.
Liu Hongge, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris, delivered a speech
Yang Liu, President of the China Cuisine Association, said in his speech that Chinese cuisine is the enjoyment of the world, and strengthened the exchange of Chinese and French culinary skills and food culture. The trip to Paris by 19 Chinese celebrity chefs not only showcased Chinese cuisine but also reflected Chinese food culture, fully told the story of Chinese cuisine, showed excellent culinary skills, shared food concepts and experiences, and learned from French cuisine for common prosperity.
Yang Liu, President of the China Cuisine Association, delivered a speech
At the party, table design and floral decoration became a highlight, and the Chinese celebrity chef specially created a themed vegetable carving and floral booth to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and the Eiffel Tower and the Temple of Heaven were surrounded by doves of peace and peonies carved from radishes.
The guests believed that the overall layout reflected the characteristics of the combination of Chinese and Western cuisine. The music team of the China Cultural Center in Paris also played the guests with famous Chinese silk and bamboo music such as Taihu Beauty, Zizhu Tune, Jiangnan Hao, Jasmine, etc., accompanied by the presentation of famous dishes one by one, and the guests talked about it in a beautiful atmosphere. The 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the Sino-French Year of Culture and Tourism were the topics of heated discussion among the guests that night. From the "Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and France and the Opening Concert of the Sino-French Year of Cultural Tourism" held at the Royal Opera House of Versailles in Paris to the "Silk Road Porcelain Tour-China Jingdezhen Ceramic Culture Special Exhibition" held at the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris, from the "Sino-French Cultural Spring" to the "37th Belk International Kite Festival Chinese Guest of Honor Event" and the upcoming "10th French Chinese Film Festival", the Chinese and French guests respected each other and had in-depth exchanges, and the food night became an important platform for the collision and integration of ideas.
Themed vegetable carving and floral art booth
The dinner was divided into large long tables, decorated with flowers, and Western food was plated. Accompanied by a number of dishes such as fresh shellfish lion head, roast duck in the oven, Buddha jumping over the wall, stuffed cockles with hundred flowers, steamed yellow croaker with black radish, etc., Master Wang Haidong, the leader of the celebrity chef team, introduced the cooking procedures, exquisite skills, unique creativity and cultural stories to the guests one by one. With a long history and rich folk characteristics, the Chinese cuisine of "one place, one flavor" and "one taste of the world" made the French guests sigh and praise. In Master Wang Haidong's narration, traditional Chinese values such as "Harmony between Man and Nature", "Taoism and Nature", "Harmony and Difference", "Inclusiveness of All Rivers" and "Neutrality for Beauty" were conveyed through one dish after another, deepening the French guests' understanding and cognition of Chinese culture.
Master Wang Haidong tells the story of food
A dinner menu full of Chinese flavors
The celebrity chef team is preparing the meal
Live dish display
Introduce the oven roast duck to the guests
Yang Liu, President of the China Cuisine Association, presented the Chinese Dragon to Liu Hongge, Director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris
Qu Xing, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, said that the "Hello China – Food Night" event presented high-level Chinese cuisine to the guests, and the culinary masters from China were praised by everyone. Each dish is not only beautiful, but also tells a story. The presentation is impeccable, and the tables and presentations are arranged like works of art. Gastronomy is a common language, and we believe and expect that Chinese gastronomy will play a greater role in the exchange and cooperation between UNESCO and China and France.
Yves GAGNEUX, director of the museum of the House of Balzac, said that as a cultural scholar with a love of food, he savored every dish of the evening with great enthusiasm. He was pleasantly surprised by the roast duck in the oven tonight, and the dinner was especially careful to combine French food presentation and service with Chinese food, accompanied by a wonderful performance of Chinese folk music, which really added fun to the food experience. Rémy ARON, President of the Association of French Artists and President of the Association of French Plastic Artists, said that the decoration of the dinner was festive and elegant, and the meal was a feast of exquisite and delicate tastes. Comtesse M.E. de GASTINES was intrigued by the famous Fujian cuisine presented by a Chinese celebrity chef, saying that it was the first time she had tasted such a time-consuming and delicate dish, and that the atmosphere of the whole dinner was so wonderful that she would never want to leave.
The "Hello China - Food Night" also stimulated the motivation of the guests to travel to China, and many guests said that they would take their families to taste the rich and diverse cuisine of China and have a deep understanding of Chinese food culture.
Group photo of important guests and celebrity chef team
This event is not only a celebration of the long-standing friendly relations between the two countries, but also a concrete practice to promote cultural diversity and mutual learning among civilizations on a global scale. In the future, the China Cuisine Association will continue to explore and innovate on the road of international cultural exchanges and cooperation, help build a more open, inclusive and harmonious international environment, promote the high-quality development of Chinese catering, and contribute to the strength of China's catering industry. The dinner was supported by the French catering company KATORI.