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DONGGUAN, China, July 21, 2020 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

Recently, the documentary A Bite of Dongguan is broadcast on the Internet in China, reflecting the Dongguan city's food culture. It was planned by the Information Office of Dongguan Municipality, and produced by China's top food and cultural documentary team. Now, demonstrating the human interest of the "world factory", it has received nearly 100 million reviews and obtained widespread attention.

The documentary presents more than 130 kinds of Dongguan's local ingredients and dishes. Through a series of lively characters and stories, it reveals the diverse food culture of the manufacturing city, displays the well-kept tradition during the city's fast development and shows local people's attitude for life.

"Dongguan, the world factory, does not abandon its own culture when developing. We hope through food, the local can pay attention to the value of their lifestyle and eating habits, thus find their identity, while the non-local can know Dongguan from another perspective," said Li Jie, the documentary producer.

In recent years, Dongguan, as a famous manufacturing city, has attracted attention from the outside world. However, the industrial changes and the continuous migration of industrial workers remain unchanged in overseas news report. Dongguan is considered as a traditional manufacturing city that blindly pursues rapid economic development and urban space expansion, while leaves people no space for a better life quality. The documentary allows people to see the other side of this world factory.

"Dongguan not only manufactures products for the world, but also makes delicious food," said Chen Xiaoqing, the chief planner of the documentary and the chief director of the documentary Once Upon a Bite. A Bite of Dongguan is inspired by the city itself and the people filmed in the documentary. People living in the city, whether local or not, have given Dongguan cuisine new features as being traditional, easy-going, embracing and pragmatic. The documentary allows the locals to find their identity. It also functions as a communication platform for Dongguan to improve city image through local cuisine. Chen Xiaoqing said the documentary not just talks about food inheritance, but also about an era: through food, people can see the changes brought by reform and opening up to Dongguan. It has now become a world-famous manufacturing city, attracting people worldwide to come here and gathering flavor from the world.

Apart from food, the documentary also unlocks the human interest of a livable Dongguan, revealing a different side of a manufacturing city. In a recent Chinese hot news, Wu Guichun, a migrant worker been working in Dongguan for many years, left a touching message for the Dongguan Library before he was about to leave Dongguan. Later, his message was widely spread on the Internet and people got moved by his love for reading and attachment to Dongguan. Soon the local government helped him find a new job. The story, with a happy ending, fully demonstrates the inclusiveness and kindness of the city. Last year, Dongguan produced its first documentary "The Era of Manufacturing". The first episode "The Marvelous Workmen" is about local industrial workers' struggling stories, also showing the city's inclusiveness.

Food is basic to life. As the movie subject close to life with the widest audience, food can easily arouse common interest and attention. Now, A Bite of Dongguan has started to be released overseas. It is hoped that more people in the world can fall in love with Chinese cuisine and understand Dongguan through food.

Source: The Information Office of Dongguan Municipality

--BERNAMA