A screen shows visitors to an exhibition in Bejing on public safety and security being filmed by AI (Artificial Intelligence) security cameras with facial recognition technology. Photo: AFP

The week-long Asian Cuisine Festival in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province offered a lot of tasty foods from different parts of the world, but it also showcased some advanced technologies for which at least one parent is very grateful.

Thanks to the facial recognition technologies, a father was reunited with his lost 12-year-old daughter in eight minutes on Friday. 

Police asked the anxious father for two pictures of the girl and sent them to a WeChat group which was set up by festival security staff. 

At the police command post the images of the girl were fed into facial recognition software which quickly pointed out the girl, who was about 200 meters away from the father, local police officer Yin Xuerong told Qianjiang TV, a Hangzhou-based television channel. 

The festival also showcased other technologies, such as food delivery by drones that can fly even in light rain and a strong breeze.

An unmanned booth served drinks with a robot arm. Customers simply placed an order by scanning a QR code, and the drink-making robot arm did the rest. 

The festival in Hangzhou has attracted more than 400 exhibitors, displaying food from Asia and other continents. 

Similar festivals are being held in Beijing, Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province as well as Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. 

The festivals, which were launched on Thursday in the four cities simultaneously, are major sideline events to the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations (CDAC). 

Qianjiang TV