In recent years, Hengdong County of Hengyang City has issued policy documents such as the development plan for the local food industry to stimulate consumption. The financial department of the county has invested 10 million yuan for the construction of local cuisine raw and auxiliary material bases, innovation of local cuisine, research and development of dishes, and promotion and cultural construction of local cuisine.

The county is making every effort to build 10 local food raw

and auxiliary material production bases for vegetables, poultry, aquatic products, and seasoning, such as 10,000-mu (about 666.67 hectares) Huanggong pepper planting bases in Sanzhang and Shiwan towns, 10,000 mu vegetable bases in Wuji and Mishui towns, and large-scale pig, chicken, and duck breeding bases in Dapu and Xialiu towns.

Enterprises such as Hunan Juweitang Food Co., Ltd., and Hengdong Qingfa Food Co., Ltd, and restaurants such as Youyicun and Shenghuiyuan in the county are supported to apply for collective trademarks and geographical trademarks to promote the standardization and brand development of Hengdong’s local cuisine industry.

By the end of November this year, the county has registered 1,035 agricultural product trademarks such as Sanzhang Huanggong Pepper, Zhentang Fish, Shiwan Smoked Bean Curd, and Fermented Bean Curd with Tea Oil. Sanzhang Huanggong Pepper has obtained national geographical indication certification and has been included among the “Top Ten Famous Peppers in China”.

In addition, twelve Hengdong’s local dishes, including Shiwan Crispy Belly and Stir-fried Eel with Eggs, have been listed among top 100 famous dishes in Hunan. Well-known local cuisine enterprises and chain enterprises such as Shenghuiyuan and Zhuangyuan Renjia are mainly encouraged to open direct-sale stores to bring Hengdong’s local cuisine chefs and raw and auxiliary ingredients to go nationwide.

At present, Hengdong’s local cuisine has appeared at more than 1,200 catering establishments in provinces and cities such as Guangdong, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Changsha, with an annual revenue exceeding 3 billion yuan. Every year, it drives sales of nearly 500 million yuan of raw and auxiliary materials for native food in the county, with over 130,000 employees engaged in the local vegetable industry chain and an output value exceeding 5 billion yuan.

Hengdong County has also launched various activities integrating local cuisine, culture, and tourism to boost consumption. Since 2004, the county has held six local cuisine culture and tourism festivals. The county has created a unique Internet-famous IP for Hengdong’s local cuisine to attract customers. In mid-October this year, the 7th Traditional Local Cuisine Culture and Tourism Festival was launched in the county, promoting cooking skills of Hengdong’s chefs.

According to Tan Jianhua, Party secretary of Hengdong County, in the first three quarters of this year, the output value of Hengdong’s local cuisine industry chain increased by 15.6% year on year, and it’s expected to achieve an annual output value of over 6 billion yuan.

The local cuisine industry has stimulated the tourism market and promoted consumption. In the first three quarters of this year, the county received nearly 4.46 million tourists, with a comprehensive tourism revenue of 4.026 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.55% and 11.49% respectively. It is expected that Hengdong’s local cuisine catering industry will achieve an annual output value of 10 billion yuan in 2026, and the county will become a national-level local cuisine catering industry base.