By Zhu Jingning Li Zheng
2023 was a good year all around, filled with laughter and tears. What is your most impressive memory of last year? What keywords would you use to sum it up?
Before it gets too far into the Chinese New Year, we would like to reflect on the city's highlights of 2023.
World, development, growth, services… Upon analyzing internet data statistics, we discover that, alongside the trending term "Hangzhou Asian Games" in 2023, these were the most frequently appearing trends associated with Hangzhou.
Let's check out the Top 5 keywords of Hangzhou in 2023 based on big data.
#Hustle and Bustle
Since the recovery with epidemic prevention, the city has embarked on a new journey. Hangzhou basked in festive vibes with a grand firework show as people celebrated the lunar new year of the rabbit with strong consumer sentiments. The blockbuster film Full River Red attracted more tourists to visit Yue Fei's Mausoleum by the West Lake. From the holidays, we can get a glimpse of the strong momentum of its cultural tourism industry. Hustle-and-bustle also returned to outdoor markets while street fairs reopened on day and night. People enjoyed the food and beverages in breeze and sunshine in outdoor leisure areas across the city.
#Romance in Vogue
Rather than "Special Forces Tourism", the new way of exploring urban Hangzhou is the city walk. Those who seek a more relaxing experience are opting to explore urban areas, engaging in activities such as window shopping, photography, and freely pursuing their interests either following a designated itinerary or without one. A train towards spring passing through blooms, a flower maiden adorned in attire of the Song Dynasty, glowing sunset of midsummer, a human-like sun bear… When immersed into the local culture and lifestyle, you will find the unique romance as if hidden tasks and NPCs popped up as in the games.
#Gen Z
The Generation Z resident population of Hangzhou is about 2.3 million. In addition to more than 900,000 local young people in Hangzhou, there are more talents from around the city and even countries around the world. They are well educated with new field background, and most of them are engaged in the tertiary industry such as internet, new media and trade. These new Hangzhounese come and settle down in the city in pursuit of career dreams, and are moved by the landscape, culture, pro-business, efficient and inclusive atmosphere. As the highly anticipated Asian Games approached last year, Hangzhoufeel was calling for the Generation Z newscasters who are enthusiastic for sports and are skilled in foreign languages to jointly report on the Games and Hangzhou in international perspectives.
#Asian Games
The 19th Asian Games commenced with a spectacular Opening Ceremony in Hangzhou. You must remember that a huge, digitally animated torchbearer ran across the Qiantang River to reach the stadium and joined Olympic gold medalist Wang Shun to light the Cauldron. This sporting extravaganza not only showcases remarkable organizational prowess but also exemplifies its unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and technological innovation. Furthermore, it serves as a momentous gathering and celebration for individuals throughout Asia.
During the 18 days of the Hangzhou Asian Games, international netizens accessed information about the Games through our social media accounts, "The 19th Asian Games" and "Hangzhoufeel", in which has attracted over 50 million views on our posts overseas. The Asian Games topics repeatedly topped the global trending list on Twitter, with multiple popular posts receiving likes, shares, and interactions from the Olympic Council of Asia, various international sports associations, and international influencers.
#International Event City
Asian Games leaves lasting legacies to Hangzhou. and reflects the city's capacity of hosting large-scale events and activities. The city also hosted Liangzhu Forum, China-Arab States Broadcasting and Television Cooperation Forum, the 2023 HSBC BWF World Tour Finals and the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship with success in December successively. Currently, it is geared up to host more international events and conferences to further reach out to the world.
New year, New mission
As Hangzhou progresses towards becoming an international metropolis, Hangzhoufeel will play an increasingly pivotal role as a major window to the world in the new year.
How does the world perceive Hangzhou? How does Hangzhou tell its own stories to the world?
In the near future, we, the Hangzhou International Communication Center, is set to host a year-end event, opening a window for the world to better understand Hangzhou. Together with friends from Hangzhou, the event aims to establish a platform for communication involving government officials, experts and scholars, internet celebrities, media, and enterprises. The goal is to promote the development of Hangzhou's international communication efforts, foster collaboration and mutual success, and continually enhance Hangzhou's influence on the global stage.
International residents will be invited to share their stories and experiences of living in Hangzhou.
You can stay connected with Hangzhoufeel to explore Hangzhou on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, in addition to following us on the WeChat Public Platform and reading the Hangzhoufeel newspaper. You will make a difference by embracing the world with us.