The Asian Cuisine Festival, a key component of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, kicked off its Guangzhou sub-event on May 16, attracting foodies from across the world eager to get a taste of Cantonese cuisine, Chinese food, and delicacies from other parts of Asia.

The opening ceremony of the Asian Cuisine Festival Guangzhou is held at LN Garden Hotel on May 16. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]

Over the next seven nights, special cultural and artistic shows under the theme of food and cultures in Asia will be staged at Haixinsha Island. The shows start at 20:00 every night and last for 1 to 1.5 hours.

Wen Guohui, mayor of Guangzhou, addresses the audience at the opening ceremony. [Photo/cnr.cn]

The following week will also include a range of forums on topics, such as food and health care, as well as the development of food industries, with participation of guests from across Asian countries. In addition, activities like an Asian cuisine-themed story-sharing session, guest countries of honor special day event, an exhibition on Asian food culture, and the Asian Beer Culture Festival will also be among the festival's highlights.

A guest explores the long hand-drawn "qian nian guang wei tu" , a stroll that identifies Guangzhou's famous restaurants, iconic attractions, architecture, and highlighted cuisines. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]