Chongqing hotpot expo attracts 120,000 visitors

The 10th China (Chongqing) International Hotpot Industry Expo, which concluded on Sunday at the Chongqing Yuelai International Exhibition Center in Chongqing, attracted more than 2,000 industry chain enterprises and some 120,000 visitors, the organizing committee said.

This three-day event celebrated the city’s famous spicy hotpot with an exhibition area spanning around 120,000 square meters. The expo showcased more than 60,000 hotpot products and covered the entire industry chain, including ingredients, soup bases, seasoning, premade foods, equipment, sales brands, and related industries and services.

Over 30 activities were held during the session, including China’s third skills competition for hotpot chefs.

According to Chen Guohua, chairman of the Chongqing Hotpot Association, the municipality is home to nearly 20,000 hotpot enterprises and almost 40,000 hotpot restaurants, generating an annual revenue of approximately 82.5 billion yuan ($11.6 billion) and employing about one million people.

Hotpot is believed to have spread through northern China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Although there are many regional variations, Chongqing hotpot differs from other styles with its spicy, numbing soup base, meats, and sauces. When people talk about spicy hotpot, they usually mean the version from Chongqing, which has the strongest flavor thanks to its use of beef tallow and large quantities of chile and Sichuan peppers.