Hangzhou through the eyes of BRI journalists

A group of foreign journalists from major media agencies in countries involved in the Belt and Road initiative (BRI) visited Hangzhou, Zhejiang province for a media tour trip from Oct 15 to 16.

The two-day event, jointly hosted by the Hangzhou government and China Daily, attracted 20 media journalists from countries including Russia, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam, to explore and probe into the dynamic international metropolis with over 5,000 years of history.

During the trip, the delegation was updated about the development that the eastern Chinese city has made over the years by visiting some of its iconic spots, such as the Xiling Seal Engravers Society, West Lake, the headquarters of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and the Cross-Border Trading Town.

Gaurav Sharma, a Chinese correspondent at the Indo-Asian News Service who reported on the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou, said he was impressed by the city's development over the past two years, especially the improved infrastructure and the increasingly convenient transportation system.

"I wish I could live in Hangzhou someday", he said.

The rapid development of the digital economy in Hangzhou has turned the city into a hotbed for entrepreneurship with numerous opportunities, said Tadele Kaleyesus Bekele from Ethiopia, adding he will take back what he experienced in Hangzhou to the people in his country.