TAINAN: The Tainan City government hosted a large-scale banquet on Sunday to mark the conclusion of the "Tainan 400" cultural festival, an initiative designed to highlight the southern Taiwanese city's rich culinary and cultural heritage. The event, held at the International Conference Center, featured nearly 500 tables and showcased a variety of dishes emblematic of Tainan's cuisine.

According to Focus Taiwan, the banquet was a significant highlight of the "Tainan 400" series, a collection of cultural events organized by the city government to promote Tainan. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che welcomed attendees at the event, where tickets were sold at NT$1,200 (US$36) per guest. When questioned by reporters about his preferred dish, Mayor Huang expressed appreciation for every item on the menu, stating that there wasn't any dish he did not enjoy.

The menu was crafted by four renowned Taiwanese chefs-Wang Yi-yung, Shih Tsung-jung, Hung Chun-nan, and Kuo Yu-hung. Their culinary creations leaned heavily on classic Tainan flavors, featuring dishes such as "Tainan-style Buddha jumps over the wall," a rich soup, "Shaohsing sea prawns," and "Oily grouper," a sea bass dish.

Entertainment at the banquet included performances by Dutch opera singer Martin Hurkens and a musical ensemble from Tainan National University of the Arts, which played the guzheng, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. Originally, organizers had planned for 400 tables, each seating 10 diners, but due to high demand for tickets, the number of tables was increased to 488.

According to Tainan City's Tourism Bureau, the city, with nearly 2 million residents, boasts a "unique banquet culture," which was prominently on display during the event.