City-Hangzhou

                                                            Hangzhou
          Hangzhou, located in southeast China, is the capital of Zhejiang Province. It is also an economic, political and cultural center of Zhejiang Province. Recently, the 2016 G20 summit was held in Hangzhou, which gave it a chance to win a reputation and to be known to the whole world. Here are three reasons why I like this city.

           First, Hangzhou has lots of very beautiful natural scenery. Every year Hangzhou attracts millions of people to come. The most famous scenic spot is West Lake, which is 6.39 square kilometers, and is situated inside this city. Even from ancient times, lots of poets wrote poetry to compliment its beauty. Many other scenic spots are built around the lake, like The Lingyin Monastery, Spring Dawn at Su Causewary, Tiger-running Spring, The Moon Reflected in Three Pools, and so on. So the most enjoyable thing is to ride a bicycle around the lake. Qiandao Lake, another must go sight, is a water reservoir with 1078 islands in it. It is famous for its clear water, fresh air and theme parks at some islands.

           Second, Hangzhou has a long history. It can be tracked back to 2200 years ago, and is one of the Seven Ancient Capitals in China. This city still keeps its classical elegance. Ancient architecture is everywhere, and traditional activities are still going on at some corner of the city, which could easily make you wonder what time are you staying in now. Also, many beautiful legends happened here, like White Snake Legend, which tells a story of a White Snake turned into a beautiful woman who fell in love with a man; Butterfly Lovers is a tragic love story of two young lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, who died for their love but in the end, they became two butterflies and stayed with each other forever. Lots of historic relics, like Yue Fei’s tomb, Lingyin Temple, and Su Causeway are still preserved, telling people their stories in the historical lake. 

           Third, Hangzhou is also a modern city. Lots of skyscrapers are built here. High efficiency transportation makes this city move energetically. Its compatible culture attracts people  from all over China. Also, it is headquarters of Alibaba, which is China’s largest E-commerce company, and Netease, which is one of China’s biggest Internet Technology companies.  Now it brings itself to the international stage, trying to cooperate with more foreign companies and countries. Lots of young people love to come to this city, because this city offers them great job opportunity. And these young people furthermore also fill this city with vitality. 

           Hangzhou is this kind of city, modern but keeping its tradition and history; high pace of work but also giving its people beautiful natural scenery to slow down. This is a city where you can live, study, work and be happy.
(Rui Liu)