Emily Scott, director of the Agricultural Trade Office of the US Embassy in China, has been in Beijing for a little over three months.

　　“During my limited travel within China, I'm already impressed by the varieties of cuisine styles in different regions in China, in particular, Sichuan cuisine,“ she said during the opening ceremony of the 7th World Sichuan Cuisine Conference on Thursday.

　　China has one of the world's most dynamic food and beverage consumer markets with endless possibilities. Among all cuisine styles, Sichuan cuisine is one of the most welcomed worldwide, and my favorite, she said.

　　With the tremendous work of WFCCI, Sichuan cuisine has become versatile and modern, providing opportunities for many food products.

　　Food connects people without boundaries. China continues to be one of the top markets for US agricultural exports and agriculture continues to be one of the most important bilateral relationships, she said.

　　In 2023, exports to China totaled over $31 billion with consumer-oriented products over $6 billion including beef, pork, poultry and over $1 billion trade in seafood.

　　Located on the fertile Chengdu Plain, Deyang is the birthplace of Li Tiaoyuan (1734-1803), a writer, poet and opera theorist whose food monograph “Xingyuan Lu“ (Awakening Garden Record) is the earliest Sichuan cuisine recipe, boasting some of the best-known Sichuan dishes such as double-cooked meat and Zhongjiang hanging noodles.

　　A local specialty, the noodles made in Zhongjiang county in Deyang has a history that can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

　　These delicately thin noodles are as fine as strands of hair and possess a pristine white color and a hollow core.