In the golden autumn of October, the activities at Panmen are bustling non-stop!

In October, the golden autumn, with the fragrance of osmanthus, after the National Day, the Panmen Scenic Area welcomed the "2016 China-US Tourism Year: Thousands of American Tourists Visit the Jiangnan Water Town" event guided by the National Tourism Administration and the Jiangsu Provincial Government, hosted by the Jiangsu Provincial Tourism Administration and the Suzhou Municipal Government, and the Chef King Competition organized by the Suzhou Tourism Bureau.

China-US Tourism Year: Thousands of American Tourists Visit the Jiangnan Water Town

On October 15, 2016, thousands of American tourists arrived at the Panmen Scenic Area Guangyu Square by ancient canal cruise ships to participate in the event press conference.

The ceremony was launched by leaders from the National Tourism Administration, Jiangsu Provincial Tourism Administration, and the Suzhou Municipal Government.

With Mayor Qu Futian's speech, the event officially began!

Thousands of American tourists entered the ancient city of Suzhou through Panmen together with various leaders. Soldiers waved flags on the ancient city wall, sounded horns, and soldiers lined up in the city gate to welcome the city lord.

Exiting the city gate, heading to Lijing Tower, the journey was filled with distinctive Chinese characteristics, and the figures of the four disciples of Tang Seng, well-known to the American people, interacted with guests in the scenic area, adding to the atmosphere.

Then they arrived at the water stage of Lijing Tower to hold a unique water wedding ceremony of the "Jiangnan Water Town," providing American tourists with the most direct sensory experience of Jiangnan water town customs.

At the same time, the provincial tourism bureau released premium tourism routes for "Jiangnan Water Town" to promote the "Jiangnan Water Town" brand tourism routes to American tourists, domestic and foreign media, and guests. The host announced the start of the press conference and enjoyed performances of Jiangnan silk bamboo music such as "Flower Good Moon Round," "Walking on Su Causeway," and "Spring Sunshine Tune" by the Suzhou Wuping Guoyue Troupe, and experienced a lawn cold meal party at the West Square.

International and Domestic Hotel Chef Competition

The Chef King Competition organized by the Suzhou Tourism Bureau was held at Panmen Scenic Area, Shihu Jinling Garden, and Taihu RV Camping Park. The competition on the 17th and 18th of this month, which is yesterday and today, was arranged at the Panmen Scenic Area. Let's take a look at the results from yesterday!

Six participating teams from Suzhou Xiangshan International Hotel, Zhangjiagang Guomao Hotel, Kunshan Jinling Grand Hotel, Suzhou Jinji Lake Grand Hotel, Suzhou Wugong Pan Pacific Hotel, and Zhangjiagang Shazhou Hotel conducted the competition in an orderly manner under the guidance of public judges and the host, following the competition rules for ingredient swapping, cooking, and plating.

Each team showcased their best skills within a limited time, completing four dishes: appetizer, main course, dessert, and signature dish within a total time of 3 hours, creating a spectacular scene with stunning dishes. The atmosphere was hot and exciting!

After an afternoon of fierce competition among the chefs and strict scoring of the four dishes by nine judges, Chef Liu Bin and his team from Suzhou Jinji Lake Grand Hotel, after receiving three bonus points from the spicy judge, fought their way to the top with the highest total score, directly advancing to the final competition!

Actually, everyone is most concerned about what the chefs' dishes look like, so let's take a look!