E-sports: a new name card for Hangzhou

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, is seeking to become a major player in the burgeoning e-sports industry, with such events as the ESM Zhejiang E-Sports Festival 2018, which kicked off in the city on Dec 14.

As the biggest gaming carnival that has landed in Hangzhou this year, the three-day event featured a flurry of famous e-sports games, such as Overwatch, League of Legends, BYOC and LanStory, attracting over 30,000 local residents and e-sports lovers.

Other activities pertaining to e-sports were also on show, including VR, board, mobile and arcade games.

An an important hub for the internet and cultural and creative industries in China, Hangzhou has always attached great importance to the development of the e-sports industry, evidenced by the launch of Hangzhou E-sports Town in Xiacheng district.

"With the involvement of an increasing number of government departments, enterprises and industrial experts, I believe that Zhejiang province will become a major driving force for the e-sports development in China," said Liu Jinhua, president of China Culture & Entertainment Industry Association.