"Dreaming of China's southern shore, it's Hangzhou that I most adore."
These well-known lines from famous Chinese poet Bai Juyi more than 1,200 years ago have captured the feelings that later generations share after visiting Hangzhou, the capital city of east China's economic powerhouse Zhejiang Province, and a central metropolis in China's southeastern coastal area.
About 700 years ago, Marco Polo, famous European traveller and explorer from Venice, referred to the city as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world."
Six years ago, the G20 Summit was held in Hangzhou, whose opening ceremony performance stunned the world with its sophisticated artistic blending of the past and the present.
In 2023, the 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8, 2023.
You've probably heard of the scenic West Lake, e-commence titan Alibaba, or the refreshing Dragon Well tea, all of which are based in or come from Hangzhou. The city, among others, is indeed a beautiful, technologically advanced place of abundant human and national resources.
For Zhang Wen, a young teacher at the China Academy of Art who has studied, worked and lived in Hangzhou for many years, three items can best represent the city's long history and rich culture: an exquisite piece of jade unearthed at the world heritage site of the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, a pure and elegant lotus flower from West Lake, and a stone arch bridge that has borne witness to the lasting economic and trade exchanges between China's north and east.
Zhang Wen's inspiration from Hangzhou has become a reality through the Asian Games organising committee's recognition of his design: three robots in the above-mentioned images have become the mascots of the 19th Asian Games, representing the city's deep history and cultural treasures as well as its modern vitality.
The city's Asian Games venues boast eye-catching and inspiring designs. The Games' main venue, the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium looks like a giant lotus flower in full bloom. The centre for e-sports competitions has an appearance of a starship about to set sail. The venue for bicycling contests resembles a pearl inlaid in the scenery.
Impressive looks apart, these venues have more to tell about Hangzhou's unique personality from the inside.
Many of them are green venues. The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium has the function of a sponge city with a rainwater circulation system that can filter, purify, collect and utilise rainwater. Hangzhou has also carried out a "no waste" campaign, aiming to reduce the source of all kinds of solid waste and ensure their safe and harmless disposal.
Most prominently, Hangzhou is a city of science and technology. The Chinese city boasting the most developed digital economy has applied the digital know-how explored and accumulated for years to the construction, operation and use of venues in multiple dimensions. Participants, spectators and managers will be awed by the convenience brought by these smart applications.
Out of the Games' 56 contest venues, the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium and Tennis Center Finals Hall are landmark buildings thanks to their unique lotus-shape designs and intelligent capabilities. The two venues have connected the virtual and the real with Digital Twin technology, which allows staff to manage the vast venues via a super smart screen without leaving their offices.
"To put it simply, everything that is real in the two venues is also present in the computer model, enabling remote management," said Luo Lin, who is charge of the two venues' digital empowerment.
With a click of a mouse, the staff can monitor the real-time energy consumption of water, electricity and gas in the venues, and count carbon dioxide and carbon emissions, thus reducing their energy consumption.
The high-tech prowess of Hangzhou in hosting the event is not only reflected in hardware, but also in daily services. For example, after arrival in Hangzhou, one can download an English version of its Asian Games app, where event information, tourism and cultural introductions of the host cities as well as ticket purchase and transportation guides are available.
Hosting such a grand international event means a hefty investment for any city. Although Hangzhou is one of the most economically developed cities in China, it still adheres to the green and low-carbon concept by holding the event in a thrifty manner with a focus on efficient integration and utilisation of resources.
Only one fifth of the venues for the Asian Games are newly built, while the rest are rebuilt venues. Five events, such as cycling and triathlon, use temporarily built venues. In addition, 85 percent of the venues have introduced professional teams to maximise efficiency through professional management.
In July this year, it was decided to postpone the 19th Asian Games for one year, but Hangzhou, which has always acted efficiently in its endeavours, had completed the venues by the end of March. After the postponement, Hangzhou did not choose to leave these venues idle, but to open them to the public to make the best use of them.
This means that the citizens of Hangzhou have indeed already experienced the Asian Games' uniqueness before the athletes and visitors.
Thanks to these efforts, Hangzhou has been turned into a dynamic city of sports and fitness, with a palpable athletic culture and a vibrant Asian Games culture that will welcome the athletes and spectators.
Through a smart online program tailor-developed by Hangzhou, citizens can book the Asian Games venues and get game introductions and other services with their mobile phones. Many Hangzhou citizens have already been privy to the green, frugal and intelligent features of the Asian Games venues.
Over the next year or so, the Hangzhou Asian Games venues will continue to improve their facilities and services based on feedback from the public.
Beautiful, elegant, innovative, dynamic: Hangzhou boasts a long history and indelible culture, charming natural scenery, advanced digital technology, convenient social services and hospitable locals. A trip to Hangzhou, whether or not it is for the Asian Games, will surely be an unforgettable experience.
