Besides being blessed with an abundance of food resources, throughout its history Chengdu has been a major hub of commerce and transportation. The vast amount of merchants and traders that passed through the city brought with them new cooking techniques, spices and other ingredients.

Upon this excellent cooking base, Chengdu is trying to reach out to the world and increase its influence on a global level. The city's inclusiveness and openness has attracted numerous gastronomic talent and renowned catering brands, with over 100,000 catering businesses in the city, according to local figures.

Eight out of 25 of the world's most valuable restaurant brands have a presence in Chengdu, totaling 398 individual outlets, according to research carried out by Brand Finance, a consultancy based in the United Kingdom.

According to food delivery platform Ele.me, the number of Asian food restaurants increased by 56 percent in the first quarter of 2019. Among them, the number of restaurants of Southeast Asian food, and Japanese and South Korean food grew by 251 percent and 186 percent, respectively.