Chinese cuisine seeks UNESCO designation, again

Peking duck. (Photo: the Beijing News)

(ECNS) – Chinese food is launching its second attempt to join UNESCO's cultural heritage list.

The China Cuisine Association (CCA) has formed a team of 30 to travel across the country in search of the most promising candidates, according to the Paper.

So far, eight cuisines have gained the most votes, including Peking duck, traditional New Year's dinner, dumplings, moon cakes, tofu, Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles, hotpot and zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings).

China has a rich food culture with a history stretching over thousands of years. Many of its dishes, such as Peking duck, hotpot and Sichuan beef are popular both in and out of the country. But none of them has made it to the UNESCO list.

In 2011, Chinese food was rejected in its first attempt at the list, as the application failed to present the food's cultural impact to the judges.

The CCA's deputy director Bian Jiang told the Paper that this time they'll try to shift the emphasis from the food to intangible things, such as cooking skills, cuisine styles, methods of eating, the stories behind the food and the culture it promotes.

In 2013, South Korea's Kimjang, namely the making and sharing of kimchi, made it to the list mostly for its impact on people and society, such as enhanced relations in the community when people share kimchi, the solidarity and joy it brings, and the different ways of making kimchi and methods of eating.

Du Li, a culinary expert based in Sichuan, says it could be hard for China to select one single dish to represent the whole country's food culture. She says the candidate must be universally acceptable but unique to China.

Feng Enyuan, executive vice president of the CCA, says another big challenge is explaining the food to the world.

"The Chinese way of cooking is so complicated that even the Chinese can't understand it all," she said, stressing the importance of using a universal language to strike a chord among a global audience.

Later this year the CCA will hold a Chinese Food Night abroad to create publicity. Also, UNESCO experts will be invited to symposiums in China to offer guidance on a successful application.