STORY: Taste of Xinjiang in eyes of int'l journalists
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 15-17, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 22, 2024
LENGTH: 0:03:14
LOCATION: URUMQI, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of delicacies in northwest China's Xinjiang
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SUNJEEWA NIRMALATH PERERA, Chief Executive Officer, Fiji Television Limited
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): WAREF KUMAYHA, President of Silk Road Institute for Studies and Research in Lebanon
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Korean): WEN YIXING, Journalist of Newsis News Agency, South Korea
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): MAXYMILIAN MARIA MANASTERSKI, Journalist of Polish News Agency
6. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): IOANNA-MARIA PIERRI, Assistant Managing Editor, To Vima English Edition, Greece
7. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): JOSE LUIS BARCELO MEZQUITA, Editor-director of Spanish newspaper El Mundo Financiero
8. SOUNDBITE 7 (English): JACK GAO, Chairman of Whale TV, Singapore
9. SOUNDBITE 8 (English): WONG CHUN WAI, Chairman of Malaysian National News Agency
10. SOUNDBITE 9 (English): RUB NAWAZ, Director, Chinese News and Video News Service, Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation
11. SOUNDBITE 10 (English): SABEEN USMAN KHATTAK, Executive Director, Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation
12. SOUNDBITE 11 (English): SALAH EDDIN ABDALLA, Adviser to the Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network
13. SOUNDBITE 12 (English): MATTHEW XUEREB, Editor-in-Chief, Newsbook Malta

STORYLINE:

Media professionals on invitation to the 6th World Media Summit visited different regions across northwest China's Xinjiang. Many of them were amazed by delicious local delicacies.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SUNJEEWA NIRMALATH PERERA, Chief Executive Officer, Fiji Television Limited
"The food is very different to what I know of Chinese food. The Chinese food that you get here is not the Chinese food I've eaten before."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): WAREF KUMAYHA, President of Silk Road Institute for Studies and Research in Lebanon
"All Xinjiang cuisine, I like it. Food culture in Xinjiang is very amazing.
The taste is similar to our country, especially with the taste and the spicy (flavor). This is delicious and I recommend it.
After my visit, I would like to invite all the people around the world not only to Beijing or to Shanghai. You have to visit Xinjiang."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Korean): WEN YIXING, Journalist of Newsis News Agency, South Korea
"All of these were tasty, and I think the mutton shashlik is the best. Everyone likes the Chinese food."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): MAXYMILIAN MARIA MANASTERSKI, Journalist of Polish News Agency
"I'm very glad for Chinese cuisine and we were able to eat so much."

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): IOANNA-MARIA PIERRI, Assistant Managing Editor, To Vima English Edition, Greece
"The people that welcomed us to their house yesterday with the cookies and the food and the tea, it was wonderful. I mean I love it."

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): JOSE LUIS BARCELO MEZQUITA, Editor-director of Spanish newspaper El Mundo Financiero
"I find connections between the foods here in this space with the foods that people eat in Kazakhstan."

SOUNDBITE 7 (English): JACK GAO, Chairman of Whale TV, Singapore
"Handheld mutton is incredible. I think most people enjoyed it tremendously. Love it.
We knew the names before. We tried some other versions of it in other parts of the country. Now I really have eaten a truly local version of it.
That's the true taste of the food, which is much better than what we had before."

SOUNDBITE 8 (English): WONG CHUN WAI, Chairman of Malaysian National News Agency
"You cannot come to Xinjiang, particularly Kashgar, without having to try the lamb. The lamb is the most and the best meal for me. It left a very good impression of this food for me, because the boiled lamb and as well as the skewers, the grilled lamb has been very good.
For food cuisine, foodies, influencers who want to talk about food, come to Xinjiang. Try it. It's different."

SOUNDBITE 9 (English): RUB NAWAZ, Director, Chinese News and Video News Service, Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation
"They (locals) presented different delicious foods. I think this is such a good gesture. It's very unique. Their hospitality and the different dishes they presented, they deserve maximum appreciation."

SOUNDBITE 10 (English): SABEEN USMAN KHATTAK, Executive Director, Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation
"There are so many ethnic groups and there are so many ethnic languages and the food variety is quite different.
So what I felt was that the food was very palatable, and it was quite tasty. And I found it a little more similar to our cooking culture, the way we cook our food at home."

SOUNDBITE 11 (English): SALAH EDDIN ABDALLA, Adviser to the Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network
"There have been many delightful dishes.
Definitely, I would think to come back here as a tourist to enjoy more in Xinjiang in general, but this place, Kashgar in particular."

SOUNDBITE 12 (English): MATTHEW XUEREB, Editor-in-Chief, Newsbook Malta
"The food is very nice. The music is nice. The costumes are even nicer. I think it was a very good trip, very good experience overall."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China.
(XHTV)