The designs for this year’s Guangzhou Asia Cuisine Festival (GZACF) were released on April 21st.

The festival’s logo combines elements from the Chinese character “beauty” （美） and Guangzhou mascot animal “ram” （羊）, and the shape is similar to ancient Chinese cooking vessels.

The logo was designed by Cao Xue, head of the College of Visual Arts and Design at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, who also created Guangzhou’s city logo. Competition was fierce, the office of the Executive Committee of the GZACF received more than 200 designs in just two weeks.

The mascot for GZACF, a cute white ram named “A Mei” has also been revealed.

The ram incorporates many elements of traditional Cantonese culture, a chef’s cap in the shape of a kapok, the little ram’s yellow face, is reminiscent of a Creamy Custard Bun, one of the most common Dim Sum delicacies in any Cantonese morning tea.

Yu Jianjun, a local Cantonese designer who placed second in the competition, told News GD “I feel proud that Guangzhou is holding this international festival, I hope that I can play a small part in sharing Cantonese cuisine and culture.”

“A good mascot not only embodies the event’s theme, but is rooted in local culture and is representative of the times” said Liu Pingyu, the designer of “A Mei”. He is currently planning a series of animated models of “A Mei” for different platforms.

Guangzhou will host the Asia Cuisine Festival from May 16th to 23rd, introducing delicious cuisine from all over Asia to Guangzhou and of course sharing China’s own renowned cuisine.

Author: Jasmine Hui

Editor: Simon Haywood