Local residents eat hot pot at a hot pot festival in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on January 6, 2023. Photo: VCG

With the Year of the Rabbit just around the corner, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality is holding a hot pot festival for local residents, aiming to add more incentives to the consumer market in the new year.

Chongqing hot pot, a renowned cuisine in China, has spread its footprint across the world. There are nearly 30,000 hot pot restaurants in Chongqing and some 200,000 hot pot restaurants across over 20 countries, according to data from the Chongqing Hot Pot Association.

In 2023, the hot pot festival has invited over 20 hot pot companies to provide services. The event will run from January 6 to February 5.

"By holding the festival, on the one hand, we hope to inject more confidence into the hot pot industry at home and abroad," said Chen Guohua, head of the Chongqing Hot Pot Association. 

"On the other hand, we also want hot pot, a complex industry, to drive a variety of other businesses, such as agriculture and tourism."

Due to favorable prices, many consumers are visiting stalls to eat hot pot. 

"Chongqing hot pot is hot and spicy, and contains a large variety of food," said He Yan, who spent 48 yuan (about $7) on a hot pot serving.

At a stall operated by Liu's Chongqing Hot Pot, a brand which was established in 2000 and has more than 1,500 restaurants around the world, some people are enjoying eating hot pot and others are buying hot pot bases, ready-made hot pot and other products.

Liu's Chongqing Hot Pot opened the first overseas hot pot restaurant in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates in 2010, and the first hot pot base factory in Canada in 2021.

"Now we have 66 hot pot restaurants in 15 countries and our hot pot products, such as hot pot bases, are in over 2,000 overseas supermarkets," said Liu Mei, chairperson of the hot pot brand.

Chen said the hot pot industry not only works as a Chinese name card to promote international business, but also brings benefits to rural areas.

As chili is the most important ingredient in Chongqing hot pot, the Zhoushixiong hot pot brand purchases all of its chilies from the Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County in Chongqing.

"For a year, we have purchased 500 tons of chilies worth over 10 million yuan from Shizhu. Radishes, soy cheese, sausages and other agricultural products are also on our shopping list," said Zhou Dao, founder of the brand, which has over 20 hot pot restaurants in three cities.

"I was born in a village, so I hope my business can deliver tangible benefits to rural areas," Zhou said.

Zhou said that events like the hot pot festival are very conducive to economic recovery and to restoring consumer confidence. 

He added that he plans to expand the brand's international business in 2023. 

Xinhua