A waitress serves dishes during the 12th China Food Festival (Hangzhou) on Aug 17. [Photo/Hangzhou Daily]

The 12th China Food Festival (Hangzhou), which was organized by the governments of Hangzhou and Changshan county in Quzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province, took place on Aug 17.

Hangzhou was assigned as the partner of Changshan county as part of Zhejiang’s “mountain and sea” cooperation program, which aims to support the development of the province’s mountainous and seaside areas.

Hangzhou currently has more than 300 restaurants that were set up by people from Changshan, and more than 10,000 Changshan people are working in the city’s catering industry.

The food festival aims to showcase local specialties and delicacies from Hangzhou and Changshan as this year marks the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the cooperation program.

A participant views oil-tea products showcased at the 12th China Food Festival (Hangzhou) on Aug 17. [Photo/Hangzhou Daily]

Changshan has long been known as the “birthplace of oil-tea in China”. The county has been planting oil-tea trees for about 2,000 years and it currently has 18,667 hectares of oil-tea plantations. In 2021, the county generated 7,500 tons of oil-tea seeds that were worth 1 billion yuan ($146.2 million) in revenue.