A chef stretches the noodles. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, saw the opening ceremony of its first Lanzhou hand-pulled beef noodle restaurant on Dec 15.

Lanzhou hand-pulled beef noodles, which have won fame at home and abroad, are a traditional food from Lanzhou, the capital of Northwest China's Gansu province.

Zhang Shien (first from the left) vice director of the Gansu Provincial Commerce Department and Wang Yongtang (second from the right) vice director of the Lanzhou commerce bureau give Bishkek's Lanzhou noodles restaurant an authorized plaque on Dec 15. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Zhang Shien, vice director of the Gansu Provincial Commerce Department, attended the opening ceremony and gave a plaque issued by the Lanzhou Beef Noodle Evaluation Committee to the restaurant.

"We give this restaurant the plaque because its trademark was registered in China and it has passed Chinese official evaluation," said Zhang.

A bowl of Lanzhou hand-pulled beef noodles served in the restaurant in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

"We hope the restaurant will pay great attention to the quality of the noodles and cater to local tastes while keeping the authentic flavor of Lanzhou beef noodles," Zhang added.

According to the Lanzhou commerce bureau, Lanzhou beef noodles have a history of over 100 years dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Since 1979, 19 Lanzhou chefs have gone to the United States and Japan to make noodles. To date, Lanzhou noodle restaurants have opened in more than 20 countries, including Singapore, South Korea and Turkey.

Edited by Peter Nordlinger