A traditional Chinese drama depicting the famous love story between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is played during the opening ceremony of the exhibition themed around traditional Chinese love stories taking place along the West Lake at the Hangzhou West Lake Museum on June 22. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

An exhibition themed around traditional Chinese love stories taking place along the West Lake, one of the most famed tourist attraction in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, was held in the city's West Lake Museum, on June 22.

The exhibition was sponsored by the management committee of the West Lake scenic spot and held by the Hangzhou West Lake Museum and the Zhenjiang Center on Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The West Lake has long been renowned as the "lake of love" as many popular Chinese love stories are linked with the lake. Among them, the most famous two are the love story between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, and the white snake legend.

Liang and Zhu are household names in China because of their tragic love story. Also known as the butterfly lovers, they are widely compared with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, while white snake legend is the love story between a male human and a female snake spirit.

The exhibition is one of the series of activities held by Hangzhou to mark the Hangzhou Westlake Day, which was designated by the Hangzhou government to fall on every year's June 24 starting from this year.

Similar to Hangzhou, Zhenjiang city in East China's Jiangsu province is also renowned for many love stories famous in traditional Chinese culture.

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the Hangzhou West Lake Museum signed a partnership deal with the Zhenjiang Center on Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage to step up joint research into classic traditional love stories.

The exhibition will open at the Hangzhou West Lake Museum from June 22 to Sept 6.