West Lake's Urban Stories
Hangzhou's West Lake Launches Video Contest to Reveal its Vibrant Urban Lifestyle
Anonymous
Key Points
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The contest positions West Lake within Xihu District as a living fusion of heritage and modern creativity, highlighting sites from Longwu Tea Town to Tianmuli as part of a broader urban-vitality narrative.
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Submissions are being invited nationwide and may be published on Xiaohongshu (RED), Douyin, or Bilibili, signaling a broad, multi-platform approach to audience engagement.
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The campaign uses five hashtags to brand and track submissions, including #XihuDistrictHangzhou, #DiscoverTheHiddenSideOfWestLake, #MyHiddenSideOfWestLake, #HiddenSideOfWestLake, and #WestLakeMaxxingMap.
Hangzhou's West Lake just got a new lens. The Discover the Hidden Side of West Lake Short Video Contest launched on July 5, inviting creators nationwide to show the lake's lesser-known face through short-form video, according to Press Release CC.
The contest runs through August 5. Entries go live on Xiaohongshu, Douyin, or Bilibili — three of China's biggest video platforms. More than 30 university students have already joined as the first wave of experience officers, Financial Content reported.
Xihu District Bureau Hosts the Month-Long Competition
The Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Xihu District, Hangzhou is running the contest. That's the official government body overseeing culture and tourism in the area. The goal is simple: get creators to film West Lake as a living, breathing city — not just a pretty postcard, according to KBEW 98 Country.
Student experience officers are exploring two set routes across what organizers call the "Two Towns and Six Districts." The routes pass through spots like Longwu Tea Town, Xiangshan Art Commune, Wensan Digital Street, and Tianmuli's modern architecture. Each stop tells a different story about the area's mix of old and new.
Three Contest Categories Cover Life, Art, and Tech
Submissions fall into three buckets: West Lake in Everyday Life, West Lake in Arts & Culture, and West Lake in Technology. The split is deliberate. Organizers want to show West Lake as more than scenery — as a place where people work, create, and innovate, according to Press Release CC.
The categories reflect Xihu District's own identity. The district blends heritage sites with modern hubs like Wensan Digital Street. By splitting the contest this way, organizers are asking creators to capture all three sides of that story in one short clip.
Five Hashtags Brand the Campaign Across Platforms
To track submissions, the contest uses five official hashtags: #XihuDistrictHangzhou, #DiscoverTheHiddenSideOfWestLake, #MyHiddenSideOfWestLake, #HiddenSideOfWestLake, and #WestLakeMaxxingMap. Creators tag their posts with these on whichever platform they choose, according to My Eagle Country.
Using Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Bilibili together gives the campaign wide reach. Xiaohongshu skews toward lifestyle content. Douyin is China's TikTok. Bilibili draws younger, creative audiences. Hitting all three means the contest can pull in very different kinds of creators and viewers.
West Lake Rebranded as Urban Lifestyle Destination
West Lake is already a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But this campaign pushes a different angle. Organizers want people to see Xihu District as a place where culture, tourism, innovation, and everyday urban life all come together, according to Press Release CC.
Submissions from across China have been coming in since the July 5 launch. The contest closes August 5 — giving creators exactly one month to find and film their version of the hidden West Lake. The result could reshape how millions of social media users picture one of China's most iconic spots.
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