The two-week festival showcased Chengdu's innovative, elegant, inclusive and friendly culture. Delegates from Chengdu discussed with their counterparts on cooperation opportunities in such fields as trade, culture and tourism.

"The people of San Francisco and Chengdu share cultural similarities, including a deep appreciation for great food," said Edwin M. Lee, mayor of San Francisco, at the opening ceremony of the food festival.

The event saw the attendance of Martin Yan, renowned Chinese-American chef and TV host. He said although his hometown was not Chengdu, he remained very passionate about Sichuan cuisine.

In Silicon Valley, Chengdu food promotion campaigns were held in many technology companies, including Microsoft, Cisco and Nvidia.

A promotion center for Sichuan cuisine was set up in semi-conductor company Nvidia - whose CEO is billionaire Chinese-American Jensen Huang - the first Chinese food center in a Silicon Valley company.

An official from the Chengdu commission of commerce said they promoted not just Sichuan cuisine, but also the culture of innovation, elegance, fashion, optimism and friendliness in Silicon Valley.

A highlight of the festival was the unveiling of a promotion center for Pixian soybean paste and Sichuan cuisine ingredients at a popular Chinese restaurant in the city of Dublin, an hour's drive away from San Francisco.

Dublin's mayor David Haubert said he had stayed in China for more than 100 days over the past two years and visited many Chinese cities, but Chengdu was his favorite.