Speak English? Visitors get a travel guide in Hangzhou

(Source: Internet)

Hangzhou has been working for years to transform itself into a global tourist destination, but visitors to the city often found it to be a little less than international when it came to helping them get around during their stay.

Getting lost or not quite knowing what to see are now things of the past, and that's a positive development as the countdown begins to the city's hosting of the G20 summit next month.

To help those visitors — and indeed to help visitors beyond G20 — the city has just published its first travel guidebook in English. It's called "Hangzhou at a Glance" and it includes travel stories from seasoned writers, helpful hints for visitors, listings of entertainment venues and cultural events, and the not-to-be-missed sightseeing spots.

"This book is a breakthrough in lifting Hangzhou's reputation," said Zhao Hongzhong, vice director of Hangzhou Tourism Committee. "It is timely to publish now because it can offer participants of the G20 summit some help in finding their way around."

The guidebook costs 98 yuan (US$14) and is available at some bookstores and scenic spots.

Tourism officials weren't very impressed in the past by the way travel books handled the city. Guidebooks were either amateurish or ill-informed. So the government invited a group of professional foreign writers and journalists to compile the new guidebook.

Chief writer was Christopher Cottrell, a former CNN journalist who has been writing about travel for 17 years. It's not his first go at offering a guide to the city. In the travel book "Best of China," he wrote the chapter on Hangzhou.

Tyler Roney was hired to edit the book. Now chief executive editor of the magazine The World of China, Roney previously worked at the Global Times, China Radio International, The Diplomat and the Florida Times Union.

Senior editor David Dawson and freelancers David William Kay and William Gray also contributed to the book. As residents of Hangzhou for years, they drew on a wealth of experience about how the enjoy the city to its fullest.

However, good content cannot guarantee a book's success. Some people do judge a book by its cover. Thus, the Hangzhou Tourism Bureau hired Italian designer Daniele Nicoletti to design the cover and packaging of the guidebook.

The book's spine is structured so that users can detach pages they want for particular outings. The cover of the book is a hand-written map that marks the most popular scenic spots in Hangzhou. At the end of every chapter, there is a list of pertinent information. And for those who want to write a "wish you were here" to friends and family back home, there's a detachable postcard.

Photos for the book were selected from the annual Hangzhou Citizen Photography Festival and from local professional photographers. The photos sometimes steered the content. For example, photographer Zhu Chenzhou proposed a section on bird-watching after supplying a series of splendid photos of birds taken at West Lake.

The book also includes works from master caricaturist Feng Zikai.

The book was a cooperative effort between the Tourism Bureau and Commercial Press.

"Commercial Press is China's first modern publication organization and has won many international prizes," bureau officials said. "It was a fortuitous collaboration."

Apart from the usual information on scenic spots, Hangzhou at a Glance provides a wealth of information on the city's culture, history, businesses, cuisine and legends.

Those involved in compiling the book drew on the resources of scenic spots, museums, theaters, clubs and companies. Local residents, expats and entrepreneurs were interviewed. Archives were scoured.

As a result, the contents range from nightlife to aspiring stories. It even contains some rare photos of Jack Ma, founder of Hangzhou-based e-commerce giant Alibaba.

"Hangzhou is the Eden of Alibaba," Ma is quoted as saying in the book. "Without Hangzhou, there would be no Alibaba. Hangzhou gives me sustenance. 'Hangzhou guy' is practically written on my face."

Trying to anticipate the specific interests of visitors, the book "Hangzhou at a Glance" has sections tailored to historians, nature lovers, culture vultures, party-makers, foodies and leisure shoppers.