Hubei Province in central China is energetically spurring consumer spending by enlivening local cuisine festivals with diverse cultural events and business activities, such as ancient poet-themed, movie-inspired food, snacks, and night markets.
It is part of the province's latest efforts to stimulate consumption and economic growth.

The "Zhonghua Meishi Hui (China Cuisine Festival)" was inaugurated on Monday in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province. A total of 68 enterprises from 17 cities and prefectures across the province participated in the event, showcasing their regional specialties.

During the culinary festival, various regions within the province will collaboratively launch a series of promotional campaigns designed to boost consumer spending.

"These locally-flavored snacks are worth trying," said Kan Ting, a tourist.
Focusing on cultural elements associated with the Li Bai (701-762), a poet in ancient China's Tang Dynasty (618-907), a competition featuring the top 10 renowned dishes and chefs was held in Anlu City. Thirty skilled cooks competed to demonstrate their exceptional culinary expertise.

"The 30 dishes presented in the competition reflect local characteristics while integrating the cultural essence of Li Bai into each dish. During the competition, local ingredients, local cooking skills, and Li Bai's poetry are integrated together, making it the most distinctive contest in Anlu. These dishes are particularly classic and poetic," said Lu Yongliang, a distinguished Chinese culinary master.

Furthermore, Hubei Province will carry out more than 600 special events to enhance consumption and facilitate the deep integration of catering and diverse trade models to better meet the needs of consumers.

"We will fully leverage this national platform to hold a series of activities to promote brand consumption, comprehensively expanding various new consumption hotspots, such as digital consumption, green consumption, and health consumption, and enhancing the happiness of the people," said Long Xiaohong, head of Department of Commerce of Hubei Province.