The eight-day "Taste of Hangzhou" Asian Cuisine Festival, a key component of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in Beijing, came to a close in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on May 22. The event attracted over 17,000 visitors from home and abroad.

With over 20 activities designed to foster cultural exchange between Asian civilizations, the banquet is the largest, most diverse and extensive food event to have ever taken place in Hangzhou, with deals worth 80.4 million yuan ($11.67 million) being signed.

The "Taste of Hangzhou" Asian Cuisine Festival kicks off in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province on May 15. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The feast ended on May 22, but it left us thinking: What has this festival done for Hangzhou?

One prime feature of the food festival was the fusion of cuisine and art at the 11,000-squre-meter exhibition show. Signature delicacies from South Korea, Burma and the United Arab Emirates all made up part of the festival's menu.

"The dragon is a symbol of Chinese culture and is also popular in Japan. The combination of dragon and Japanese sushi symbolizes Sino-Japanese friendship,” said a sushi chef at the Japanese exhibition stand.