The second episode of a cultural promotional series — The Romances of Love at West Lake, produced by the Hangzhou municipal publicity department in Zhejiang province — was released today to explore the charm of the West Lake from the perspective of foreigners.

Friday marked the eleventh anniversary of the West Lake Cultural Landscape's addition to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

The picturesque landscapes of West Lake in all four seasons have appeared time and again in many poems and legends. It is also a renowned tourist attraction not only for its beautiful scenery but also for its association with the aesthetic thought of the Chinese landscape and its influences on Chinese and global garden design. 

Nicolas from France and Naty from the United States are both married and currently live and work in Hangzhou. In addition to West Lake's beautiful natural scenery, they also love the enchanting love stories associated with the lake, known as the holy land of love, in many classic performances, including the classic Peking Opera The Legend of the White Snake, the musical drama A Plum Wife and Crane Sons, and the classic Yue Opera The Butterfly Lovers.

The video has been promoted on a variety of foreign-oriented media platforms, including the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, Xinhua News Agency, China Radio International, China Daily, China News Service, and Zhejiang TV International Channel.

A promotional video on the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City will be released on July 6 – the anniversary of its addition to the World Cultural Heritage list.

Watch the video to discover the charm of West Lake in Hangzhou.

Fang Xiaoying contributed to this story.